Friday, May 15, 2015

Bias Western Reporting At Its Lowest

When I read on the news that a Singapore-flagged commercial ship was fired upon by an Iranian naval patrol boat, I thought Singapore was just sucked into the Middle East conflict. However once I know the details, I understand this was just another incident of bias Western reporting on Iran.

It seems that a commercial ship, Alpine Eternity, accidentally struck an Iranian oil platform, damaging it. The ship was also damaged in the accident and went into port for repairs. During the repairs, the Iranians informed the shipping company that they must pay for damage to the oil platform. The shipping company refused.

With the dispute unsettled, the ship left port which of course got the Iranians hopping mad. A Iranian naval boat confronted the Alpine Eternity near Abu Musa island, demanding that the ship go back into Iranian waters. The dispute escalated from there with the Iranian naval boat firing warning shots at the ship. The Alpine Eternity called for help, the UAE coast guard responded and the Iranian patrol boat left the area.

So let me get this straight; a commercial ship struck and damaged an oil platform, refused to pay for the repairs, escaped into international waters without resolving the issue, got chased by the Iranian navy, and somehow this was the Iranian’s fault?

It seems that this is a perfect example of bias Western reporting, twisting facts to depict Iran as the aggressor. The ship hit an oil platform and ran! So the incident must be the fault of the Iranians!

I know being a Singapore-flagged ship doesn't mean that the ship is owned by Singapore, but I think the Singapore government might want to look into this dispute. Let’s not get drag into the Middle East conflict by the mischievous Western media. 

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