This whole incident is confusing and these photos and a really terrible quality video in black and white doesn't help, just makes it worst.
This photo is from the USS Bainbridge right, I'm assuming from one of her fast boats and this is the best photo they took and released to the public?
Why not take a photo closer to the "Likely Mine" or a zoomed in shot of the mine, a decent high quality photo where you can see details of the object attached to the hull.
There is no OPSEC reasons for not to do so and if the American government really wants to prove the Iranians did this, it would be a hammer to whatever Iran is saying.
An other issue I have is why they didn't secure the ship and didn't remove the "Likely Mine" themselves? Clearly if it's a mine, it needs to be removed and made safe. Does the USS Bainbridge have no one on the ship tasked to deal with explosives and mines.
Than we move onto the really terrible black and white quality video which I believe is from a P-8 or a UAV drone aircraft which was on station.
From what I understand, it's 4pm but you can't tell because it's black and white and the quality is so bad that it loses it's picture when the camera moves too quickly.... This is 2019 and is this camera the best they have in the USAF?
Take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93-l68D3Eo (modchannel is Japan's MOD)
This video quality is in 1080p, going to assume the original video before it was shared to Youtube was higher and the difference between the quality of this and whatever the black and white video is light and day, there is no excuses for this.
This leads back to the video and images of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov and USS Chancellorville incident again, a event with really bad photos and a badly quality video that looked as bad as the 1988 Black Sea bumping incident between the USS Yorktown and the Soviet frigate Bezzavetny.
So, am sorry I went on a little bit, back to the black and white video showing some unknowns doing something against the hull of the tanker. I say unknowns because I honestly can't tell who they are, the boat am sure can be ID'ed, but I don't know anything about small boats.
So the USS bainbridge was on station right and they allowed this small boat which they say are Iranians to drive up the tanker and do whatever they are doing next to it?
This ship is a crime scene right, where is the security? Why was they allowed.
I just feel angry about this whole thing and confused.