A US coastal patrol ship faced seven Iranian Republican Guard Corps Navy fast in-shore attack craft before swerving to avoid crashing into one on Sunday, according to a Defense Department official. “This caused the Firebolt to have to maneuver to avoid collision”, Davis said, noting that the United States sailors had attempted to hail the Iranians via radio.
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Three of the FIACs maneuvered close to Firebolt, mirroring the ship’s course and speed at a distance of about 500 yards for about eight minutes before leaving.
“The Iranian’s unsafe maneuvers near a United States ship operating in accordance with worldwide law while transiting in global waters created a risky, harassing situation that could have led to further escalation including additional defensive measures by Firebolt”, the official told USNI News. In one incident last month, the USS Squall resorted to firing warning shots from a 50-caliber gun at an Iranian vessel as it approached.
“This caused the Firebolt to have to maneuver to have to avoid collision”. “This is another example of an unsafe and unprofessional interaction we’ve had with the IRGCN in the Gulf”.
“This is clearly a pattern, and it’s one we’re not happy about, and we’d like to see this sort of behavior stop”, Davis said.
The Nitze and another guided missile destroyer, the USS Mason, were in worldwide waters when they were encountered by four Iranian boats approaching at high speed. Each time, Iran was the aggressor Navy officials said. In the end, the carrier was too fast for the fast boats and they broke off – but not before one of them broke formation and turned toward the Firebolt, leading to the evasive maneuvers.
The U.S. Navy ship attempted multiple radio communications with the Iranian vessel, but there was no reply.
The Iranian vessels, which belong to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, came as close as 300 yards (274 meters) to the Nitze.
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Though the situation did not escalate, it’s the kind that the Navy would have reported to the State Department with a request for a message of protest, if the US and Iran had an official diplomatic relationship.
