Going from Bahrain to Kuwait is a straight line along the west coast of the Gulf. There's absolutely no reasn to go out to the middle of the Gulf.
Any "sailor" with a brain should be able to know that. Unfortunately, the American people are gullble and eat up everything the networks serve them, then national pride takes over and bullshit comes out.
While unnerving, the sailors on their knees with their hands behind their heads is standard procedure in these cases.
I am still baffled as to why the Iranians played along. I just can't come to terms as to how these guys ended up so far off course. It just doesn't figure. At all.