A U.S. military ship was forced to change course after an Iranian military vessel came with 100 yards in the Persian Gulf.
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The event put the US ship, the Firebird, and its crew of about 30, at risk of a collision.
The incident began when seven Iranian ships “harassed” the Firebolt, Davis said.
It was at least the fourth such incident in less than a month.
According to officials, this is one of 31 similar incidents with Iranian ships this year, nearly double the number from the same period last year.
The U.S. Navy ship attempted multiple radio communications with the Iranian vessel, but there was no reply.
Last week, the head of US Central Command, General Joseph Votel, told reporters that unsafe maneuvers in the Gulf were part of the Iranian regime trying to exert its influence in the region.
An undated photo of IRGCN patrol boats.
Davis said there was no weapons fire exchanged between the US and the Iranians, adding that the Iranian boats were armed. The captured sailors were released the following day.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said he could not say whether or not Secretary of State John Kerry will raise the issue with his counterpart Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Khonsari. During the 1979 revolution in Iran, 52 American hostages were taken and held for more than a year by Iranian Revolutionary Guards military forces. In recent years, Washington has been anxious about Iranian attempts to develop the capability to produce nuclear weapons for military use.
Diplomatic tensions between the two states had eased somewhat, as a result of a high profile deal over Iran’s nuclear programme a year ago. But major differences continue to simmer over ballistic weapons development and the ongoing Iranian military role in the civil war in Syria and Iraq.
These incidents are the latest Iranian challenges to the American presence in the Persian Gulf and its commitment to keep the area open to worldwide shipping.
The Navy estimates about 10 percent of all its interactions with Iranian military vessels since the beginning of 2015 have been unprofessional.
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The latest in a string of incidents in the Persian Gulf saw seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) craft approach the USS Firebolt (PC-10) while it was operating in global waters in the central Gulf.
