Iran to US: Nice Job on That Pirate Rescue

By recent standards, it's downright effusive: Iran directed nice words toward the US after a Navy ship rescued an Iranian fishing boat from pirates, reports CNN. "Rescuing Iranian sailors by the US was a humanitarian act and we welcome such acts," said a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. But he couldn't resist qualifying a little: "The Iranian Navy also engages in such rescue operations. It is the responsibility of all nations to rescue nationals from other countries from pirates."

As AP notes, the Fars news agency, which is closely linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was a little less warm and fuzzy about the Arabian Sea rescue. "A US helicopter filming the rescue operation from the first minute makes it look like a Hollywood drama with specific locations and actors," says a report. "It shows the Americans tried to publicize it through the media and present the American warship as a savior." The two nations have been engaged in a war of words over the US presence in the Persian Gulf. One example here. (More Iran stories.)