The Cyclone-class Navy coastal patrol ship Squall fired three warning shots Wednesday to ward off approaching Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast-attack boats, as tensions escalated over rights of way in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon said Thursday.
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The Squall, a patrol craft, and the USS Tempest, were operating in close formation with a Kuwaiti Navy ship in the North Arabian Gulf when the Iranian boat came dangerously close.
In January, 10 San Diego sailors were detained by Iranian small boats when two USA riverine craft strayed into Iranian waters and one broke down. After two of the Iranian boats came closer, the United States crew used its ship whistle and flares in an attempt to communicate with the Iranians, but those attempts were also ignored.
The Iranian boat sped away after the USS Squall fired the three warning shots into the waters ahead of the speeding boat to warn it off.
This statement comes just 24 hours after a US destroyer was confronted and intercepted by four Iranian warships Tuesday afternoon near the Strait of Hormuz. These incidents are a great source of elation and satisfaction for the Iranians, who believe the USA won’t lift a finger against them lest Iran abandons Obama’s precious nuclear treaty. According to the Navy, roughly 10 percent of its encounters with Iranian ships since the beginning of 2015 have been unsafe and unprofessional. Only after the two Iranian vessels had closed to within 300 yards of Nitze did they slow their speed before ultimately moving away.
A USA defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Squall patrol craft fired three warning shots from a.50 caliber gun in the northern Gulf on Wednesday after warning flares did not work. The USS Tempest fired flares as a warning made radio contact, but the Iranian vessel continued its approach.
According to USA officials, the incidents all involved the IRGC, which operates a navy in parallel to Iran’s regular naval force, and whose leaders answer directly to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Defense News reported.
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.
The destroyer had to change course to avoid a possible collision, even though it was near offshore oil rigs.
Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that Iran warns any foreign navy forces which enters the country’s waters.
In a statement, US Navy Central Command (NAVCENT) “assessed the interaction as unsafe and unprofessional due to the Iranian vessels not abiding by worldwide law and maritime standards including the 1972 Convention on the global Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) maritime “Rules of the Road”.
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The Iranians boarded the boats, pointed their guns at the USA sailors and took them to the island where they were held overnight. The USS Squall patrol craft reportedly fired three warning shots from a.50 caliber gun after the Iranian vessel came within 200 yards of the USA ship.
