PERSIAN GULF: IRAN UNDER SURVEILLANCE BY USS NIMITZ

English/Nat The U-S aircraft carrier Nimitz is keeping watch on Iran and its neighbours from its position in the Persian Gulf after a recent flare up in the region. APTV has the latest pictures from on-board the American carrier rushed to the Gulf to mediate the latest Iran-Iraq confrontation. The U-S-S Nimitz lies in the Persian Gulf 40 miles off the Iranian port of Bushehr. The Pentagon rushed the carrier Nimitz to the Persian Gulf after Iranian war planes violated the no-fly zone over southern Iraq on September 29. It was sent in urgent response to air raids staged by Iran against the southern Iraqi bases of Mujahideen Khalq, a rebel group hostile to the Tehran government. The captain however says things are relatively calm at the moment. SOUNDBITE: (English) "None whatsoever. It's been very quiet. We've occasionally run into some of the Iranian ships. They've been very professional and courteous. You can see there's a lot of water out here, so we try to stay out of each other's way." SUPER CAPTION: Captain Isaac E. Richardson III, U-S Navy The carrier's presence in the Gulf region is intended to keep both Iran and Iraq in check after Iran's violation of the no-fly zone over Iraq. Helicopters and fighter planes routinely take off from the deck of the Nimitz to investigate the surrounding area. American warplanes have been flying some 50 sorties a day in support of the mission, dubbed "Operation Southern Watch," or O-S-W. The carrier has formidable fire power, with 75 aircraft on its deck. Rear Admiral John B. Natham, one of those on board, reiterated the strength behind the Nimitz's Gulf mission and the reasons it was ordered into the area. SOUNDBITE: (English) "It's important that you know that the U-S air force, the United Kingdom and France have a significant number of assets in theatre already supporting O-S-W and we are asked to come in and augment those assets to support the no-fly zone in southern Iraq. And that's the reason we rushed in the Gulf, because of violations by the Iraqis below the 33rd parallel right here (points to map.) So we provided sorties and we're still providing sorties, we're doing that today, we've been doing that for the last six days, have been providing a number of sorties up into that operation to prevent the Iraqis from violating the no-fly zone and enforcement of that by the coalition." SUPER CAPTION: Rear Admiral John B. Nathman, U-S Navy He also said the Iranians appear to be growing into their role as an aspiring military power, but there's still work to do. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I think what they're good at right now is they're getting used to the equipment they purchase and that's really what they're interested in - you know they're exercising the kilos, they exercise their U-dongs (type of weapon), the ships that they bought from overseas, and so they're interested in exercising and understanding their equipment. So that's the best way I would characterize it. Q: What have they yet to learn? "I think they have a lot to learn, they always have a lot to learn. But I think what they're seeing is that they need an awful, they need to work at obviously being at sea and understanding the tactical implications of being at sea and so I think they're on the leading edge of regaining some of those skills and they're going to have to work at it." SUPER CAPTION: Rear Admiral John B. Nathman Iran accuses the United States of positioning the carrier of its shores to spy on Iran, a charge which Washington denies. In keeping with recent attempts to show off its military might, Iran declared on Saturday that it possessed the strongest missile force in the Gulf region. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/955843d7b0260e07c756ad09f1ecb696 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork