A US Navy ship has fired warning shots after an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boat manoeuvred around two US patrol ships, the USS Squall and USS Tempest.
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At one point, the Iranian boat came within 200 yards of one of the US Navy boats. The three vessels were travelling in formation when they were approached by a Naser-class Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy water craft at high speed.
The incidents came the day after Iranian ships made similar hostile maneuvers around the destroyer USS Nitze in the Strait of Hormuz, and came within 300 yards of the us ship.
According to the official, the IRGC vessels came within 300 yards of the USS Nitze, which as operating in global waters, and conducted “a high speed intercept and closing within a short distance of Nitze, despite repeated warnings”.
Earlier in the day, the Squall and Tempest encountered three other small Iranian boats that ran in front of them three times, coming as close as 600 yards.
The Iranians boarded the boats, pointed their guns at the USA sailors and took them to the island where they were held overnight.
They come against the backdrop of renewed USA diplomatic contacts with Iran.
“This situation presented a drastically increased risk of collision, and the Iranian vessel refused to safely maneuver in accordance with internationally recognized maritime rules of the road”, said Urban. Our ships are operating as they have for years in that part of the world, in worldwide waters, and will continue to do so.
According to U.S. Navy Cmdr.
In a June speech, Khamenei said, “The Persian Gulf security relates to the countries of the region which have common interests, and not to the US”.
The video shows Iranian boats evading USA flares and coming within a dangerously close distance of the Nitze. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The four IRGC vessels approached at high speed.
In Tuesday’s incident, the USS Nitze tried to communicate with the Iranian vessels 12 times but received no response.
The Iranians have performed unsafe “high-speed intercepts” of American ships twice this week. Attempts at making radio contact failed, and crewmembers sounded the ship’s whistle, a naval signal meant to express that the ship is unclear about another vessel’s intentions.
This week’s incident involving the Nitze took place less than a week after the American government effectively admitted paying ransom for hostages held in Iran.
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The intercept was another tense incident between the longtime foes over the past year.
