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| Operation Nimble Archer |
| Part of Iran-Iraq War, Operation Earnest Will |
An Iranian command and control platform set ablaze after shelling by American destroyers. |
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| Belligerents |
 United States Navy |
 Iran |
| Strength |
| 4 warships |
2 platforms |
| Casualties and losses |
| Unknown |
2 platforms heavily damaged |
Operation Nimble Archer was the 19 October 1987 attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces. The attack was said to be a response to Iran's 16 October attack on the MV Sea Isle City, a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait, with a Silkworm missile.
The action was part of Operation Earnest Will, the effort to protect Kuwaiti shipping amid the Iran-Iraq War.
The platforms were being used by Iranian forces as command-and-control posts. They were shelled by four U.S. warships: USS Hoel (DDG-13), USS Leftwich (DD-984), USS Kidd (DDG-993), and USS John Young (DD-973).
On November 6, 2003 the International Court of Justice ruled that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America." The Court also ruled that it, "...cannot however uphold the submission of the Islamic Republic of Iran that those actions constitute a breach of the obligations of the United States of America under Article X, paragraph 1, of that Treaty, regarding freedom of commerce between the territories of the parties, and that, accordingly, the claim of the Islamic Republic of Iran for reparation also cannot be upheld;" [1]
[edit] References
- ^ International Court of Justice. Oil Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America). Accessed December 12, 2006.
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