Farsi Island (Persian:جزیره فارسی,romanized: jazīreye fârsī) is a tiny, barrenIranian island (Bushehr province) in thePersian Gulf. There is anIRGC Navy base on this island. The island has an area of about 0.25 km2 (0.10 sq mi) and is restricted from the public. The center of Farsi Island is located at latitude 27° 59' 36" N and longitude 50° 10' 22" E. Its maximum elevation is 4 metres (13 ft). The wordFarsi means "Persian".
 Farsi island | |
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| Location | Farsi Island,Bushehr Province, Iran |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°59′35″N50°10′21″E / 27.99306°N 50.1725°E /27.99306; 50.1725 |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | metal skeletal tower |
| Height | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Shape | square pyramidal tower[1][2] |
| Markings | white and black horizontal band tower |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 28 m (92 ft) |
| Range | 16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 15s |
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In the late 1980s, during the "Tanker War" phase of theIran–Iraq War, the IRGC used speedboats to launch attacks from Farsi Island on vessels of Iraq and its allies, including Kuwait.[3] The United Statesentered the Persian gulf to protect Kuwaiti oil shipments. Iran plantednaval mines near Farsi Island on the route of the first convoy, consisting of US navy vessels escorting the Kuwaiti oil tankerBridgeton, whichhit one of the mines.
On January 12, 2016, Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces stationed on the islandapprehended two small vessels and their 10 U.S. Navy sailors after the latter entered Iranian waters.[4] The incident prompted talks between the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department regarding their release.[5] All 10 sailors and their vessels were released the following morning.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^Rowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of Iran".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved2016-10-03.
- ^NGA List of Lights – Pub.112 Retrieved 3 October 2016
- ^"Iranian boat attack tanker in Gulf".Washington Post. No. page A22. July 26, 1988.
- ^Schmidt, Michael S.; Cooper, Helene (15 January 2016)."Defense Secretary Says U.S. Sailors Made Navigational Error Into Iranian Waters".The New York Times.
- ^"Iran-US Navy Dispute Live Updates: Iranian Military Holds 10 American Sailors On Iran's Farsi Island".International Business Times. 12 January 2016.
- ^"US thanks Iran for swift release of 10 Navy sailors".British Broadcasting Corporation. 13 January 2016.
