Iran confirms warning US Navy near Strait of Hormuz

Iranian ships harassed U.S. naval vessels in three recent incidents, including one that prompted an American ship to fire warning shots, a United States official said Thursday.

The USS Squall and the USS Tempest were operating in close formation with a Kuwaiti Navy ship when the Iranian boat came dangerously close.

The Iranian vessels forced the USS Nitze to change course in order to avoid a potential collision, the official said, adding that the incident could have triggered a diplomatic protest if Washington had diplomatic relations with Tehran. The month before that, Iranian fired rockets near US warships and flew drones over the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

Iran confirmed that the country’s military boats approached and gave a warning to the U.S. navy in waters near the Strait of Hormuz, ISNA reported Aug.25.

The U.S. Navy described the incident as “unsafe and unprofessional” and said it occurred in worldwide waters in the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s defence minister Hossein Dehghan said: “If an American ship enters Iran’s maritime region, it will definitely get a warning”. He said the US ships are conducting themselves in a safe and professional manner and they will continue to take whatever steps they need to protect themselves.

Despite multiple warnings via radio and loudspeaker, the Iranian boat approached head on, coming within 200 yards of one of the vessels on Wednesday (local time), Navy spokesman Commander Bill Urban said.

The Nitze and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command assessed the interaction as unsafe and unprofessional.

The American troops were released the next day unharmed, but US officials said Iran broke worldwide policy by arresting the sailors at gunpoint.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook acknowledged the three incidents Thursday, but said he did not have details.

Four fast craft operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy (IRGCN) made high-speed passes at a US Navy warship Tuesday afternoon near the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy reported Wednesday.

Commenting on the incident, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said incidents like this one “unnecessarily escalate tensions”, adding that the USA doesn’t know Iran’s intentions. “The vessels were seen firing eight to nine rockets away from the U.S. ships and did not notify them of the intent to conduct a live fire exercise”.

Such control and naval patrols “naturally take place in Iran’s own territorial waters”, he stressed.