That’s what Ralph Peters says:
I suspect those American crews would have opened fire if they’d felt themselves in imminent danger. And further, I suspect it was the Iranians who were scared witless by the encounter. As Noonan pointed out yesterday, we’ve been around this block before with the Iranians–the result was devastating for Iran. But the Iranians have been engaging in acts of war against this country for a long time. If we are to respond in kind, wouldn’t it be better to do so at a time and place of our choosing? Short of that, one trusts the Navy will take whatever steps it deems necessary to protect its forces. Their restraint in this case is almost certainly an example of their unbelievable professionalism. And there’s no reason why we can’t retaliate in some other form. We, too, can wage psychological warfare, and far more effectively than they can.
