Straits of Hormuz Revolutionary Guards

Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast boats "harassed and provoked" three U.S. naval ships in international waters at the Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The cruiser Port Royal, the destroyer Hopper and the frigate Ingraham were in international waters on their way into the Persian Gulf around 8 a.m. local time Sunday when the Iranian encounter occurred. Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, commander of American naval forces in the region, said Iran might take actions to illustrate its ability to damage global prosperity. The Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, wrote “This was a media show by Bush to pretend his trip is important to the Middle East and to make the Arab countries feel that they need the U.S. forces in the region for security.” here

MV Dai Hung Dan - call for further action

A State Department official said the rescue was part of the Proliferation Security Initiative mission -- a grouping of nations aimed at stopping North Korea from proliferating weapons of mass destruction. A maritime organization has raised suspicions about the North Korean vessel and has called for further action.

Dai Hong Dan hijacked, USN helps wounded crew

North Korea's MV Dai Hong Dan cargo vessel, which was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia late last month, docks in the Red Sea port of Aden in southern Yemen, 05 November 2007. The US Navy abandoned the ship off the Somali coast last week despite a call for its detention for alleged involvement in "suspicious activities," according to a US Navy official. A US Navy destroyer was earlier tracking the MV Dai Hong Dan after engaging pirates who had hijacked the vessel, helping the crew to regain control.

North Korean ship discharged at the Syrian port of Tartus

The Israeli attack came just three days after a North Korean ship docked at the Syrian port of Tartus, carrying a cargo that was officially listed as cement.

The ship's role remains obscure. Israeli sources have suggested it carried nuclear equipment. Others have maintained that it contained only missile parts, and some have said the ship's arrival and the attack are merely coincidental. One source suggested that Israel's attack was prompted by a fear of media leaks on intelligence indicating that North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria. here

Al Hamad (1965), 1,700 grt, North Korean flag.

Israel may have carried out the boldest act of nuclear preemption since its own 1981 raid against Iraq's Osirak nuclear complex. The strike came three days after a ship carrying material from North Korea docked at a Syrian port and delivered containers that Israel believes held nuclear materials. If so, its silence is shrewd. It has allowed Syria to avoid a military response and every other Arab state to pretend that nothing happened. So far, the most serious fallout may be China's abrupt and unexplained postponement of scheduled "six-party" talks on North Korea's nuclear program.

Israel bombed a facility where it believed Syria was attempting to hatch its own nuclear weapons program with North Korea's assistance. here

No. 9 Han Chang ends nuclear confrontation

North Korea told the United States July 14 that it had shut down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and readmitted a permanent international inspection team, completing its first step toward reversing a four-year-long confrontation with the United States. Rice and Mr. Hill worked around Mr. Cheney to strike the deal, which awarded the North large shipments of oil as it took the first steps to end its nuclear production capacity.

The United States also cleared the way for the return of $25 million frozen in a Macao bank that the administration had said was largely North Korea’s ill-gotten gains from counterfeiting and arms sales. A South Korean ship, No. 9 Han Chang loaded with 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil arrived at Sonbong, a port in northeastern North Korea, on July 14,

Sihanoukville call by USS Gary

A U.S. navy warship docked at Cambodia's main seaport Friday, the first port call by an American naval vessel to the Southeast Asian nation in more than three decades.

The USS Gary, a guided missile frigate with 200 officers and crew, was greeted by a team of Cambodian naval officers and U.S. Embassy staff at Sihanoukville, 115 miles southwest of the capital, Phnom Penh. here