Iranian ship saves American lives, their freighter attacked by pirates

SF Gate, home of the San Francisco Chronicle, May 23, 2012: The Iranian Navy is said to have rescued the U.S.-flagged US-flagged Maersk Texas, which was beseigned by several pirate ships in the GUlf of Oman, coming to its rescue after hearing its distress signal. The pirates fled as soon as they saw the warship appear.

The Maersk's corporate offices, however, denied it, saying the Iranian Navy was the first to respond after sending the distress signal but weren't helped by them, instead Iran's navy provided guidance to the crew of the Maersk Texas by radio.

The European Union's counter-piracy force said it had reviewed the incident and determined there was "no case of piracy and it's a false alarm,"

This is the first time the Iranians are said to have helped Americans, but American ships have helped Iranians several times, most recently freeing 13 Iranian fishermen who had been held captive by pirates for 45 days.