Iran’s fake US ship for movie set sparks media hype
A mock US aircraft carrier built in Iran for a movie about an Iranian passenger plane downing sparked media frenzy in the US and Israel. Media outlets claimed the ship was meant to be blown up for “black propaganda” and labeled it a “symbol of mistrust.”
Satellite images of what looked like a US Navy ship docked at a
dockyard near the coast of Iran were obtained by The New York
Times and CNN last week, puzzling media and military experts.
The latter concluded that the ship was not an actual aircraft
carrier, but was “made to look like one,” US Navy Fifth
Fleet spokesman Jason Salata said, as quoted by Reuters.
The New York Times stated that the Nimitz-class carrier-shaped
ship looked “more like a barge” with no nuclear
propulsion system and was “only about two-thirds the length
of a typical 1,100-foot-long Navy carrier.”
Salata actually pointed out that the replica was “more akin
to a Hollywood set than a warship” but could not immediately
comment with certainty on the purpose of its construction,
admitting it was “a little bit of a head-scratcher.”
That, however, did not stop US media from drawing quick
conclusions.
CNN came up with a story claiming that “the revelation that
Iran is constructing this mock carrier comes at a potentially
pivotal moment in US-Iranian relations.”
Referring to the deal on Iran's nuclear program, a CNN article
said that “amid ongoing high-level diplomatic talks between
the United States and Iran, it’s a symbol of underlying
mistrust.”
Citing US intelligence analysts, The New York Times said the ship
was “something that Iran could tow to sea, anchor and blow up
– while filming the whole thing to make a propaganda point.”
Israel’s Ynet news then directly referred to the purpose of the
mysterious vessel as “black propaganda.”
“American intelligence sources estimate Iran is building
nonworking US-based carrier to bomb and drown it, then showcase
it falsely,” the media outlet said.
The US “decided to stay ahead and expose the vessel and
prevent black propaganda,” it claimed.
What particularly puzzled various media was the fact that
“the Iranians have made no effort to conceal the construction
of the mock aircraft carrier.” This was readily explained by
unnamed analysts as “the fact the Iranian are building it
openly for concealed purposes.”
The reality, however, turned out to be more prosaic.
According to Iranian newspapers quoted by Reuters, the mock ship
was in fact “part of the decor” of a movie being made by
director Nader Talebzadeh on the 1988 shooting down of an Iran
Air civilian plane by the USS Vincennes. All 290 passengers and
crew on board the plane were killed in the disaster, which the US
called an “accident.”
“The issue has turned into a good excuse for another wave of
hype against Iran,” Iranian news website Alef said,
commenting on the mock aircraft story. “Without any proof or
real basis, Western media have jumped again to paint a more
negative picture of Iran.”
This is only the latest example of US mass media taking on a
story about another country without definite evidence. In
February, the readiness of US media to use unconfirmed reports
for “Sochi-bashing” during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia was
even ridiculed by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who hosts a show on ABC.
Kimmel staged a scene of a wolf freely wandering in
an Olympic dorm, which was then uploaded to YouTube by US luger
Kate Hansen. The latter fact was perceived as sufficient evidence
of the encounter by US media, which did not bother to do any
fact-checking on the ground or request comments from Sochi
organizers. CNN, FOX, and NBC were among the networks that fell
for the embarrassing prank.
