US general blasts Iran’s ‘provocative’ maritime conduct

“We are relying on our good young leaders and our young Sailors to make good decisions and, in every case that I’ve seen, they have”, Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, said while briefing reporters August 30 at the Pentagon in his fourth month of command.

More than 13 months after the United States and its partners announced they had reached a landmark agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, a series of disturbing revelations, coupled with Iran’s continued belligerence, continues to raise red flags.

Votel warned that an uptick in the hostile interactions between the U.S. Navy and the IRGC in the Arabian Gulf could lead to an global incident.

“I think the big concern here is miscalculation”, Gen. Joseph Votel told reporters at the Pentagon.

Similar incidences occurred on Wednesday when 3 Iranian ships veered close to USS Tempest and Squall in the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan has said his nation has the right to investigate or confront foreign vessels near its shoreline.

“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”, U.S. Navy Cmdr.

It was one of three encounters that USA ships had with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats in the Gulf that day.

The Obama administration at the time pointed to the quick release of the sailors as evidence that the nuclear accord had improved relations. Several US allies in the region, Arab states, prefer to call it he Arabian Gulf, and there have been military directives instructing US troops to use that term when deployed in the area.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway that connects the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf. “No one else does what they do – go out and drive fast boats towards military vessels”.

Yet with their words and actions, the Iranians are making it clear that they have no intention of engaging in any sort of détente with the nation they perceive as the “Great Satan”.

“The US Navy continues to remain vigilant and is trained to act in a professional manner, and we expect the same of all nations with professional maritime forces”.

In just the first six months of this year, Fox News explains, there were 19 “dangerous interactions with the Iranians”, which the us military has deemed to be “unsafe and unprofessional”.