U.S. Says Iranian Ships
Repeatedly Harassed Navy Vessels in Gulf
April 16, 2020, 2:09 AM GMT+2
Iranian ships
repeatedly harassed and approached American vessels conducting operations in
the Persian Gulf before disengaging after multiple warnings, according to U.S.
Central Command.
Eleven ships
with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps repeatedly crossed the bows and
sterns of the American vessels at extremely close range and high speeds on
Wednesday, Central Command said in a statement.
The
“dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and
collision,” according to the statement, which added that U.S. commanders on the
scene “retain the inherent right to act in self-defense.”
The Iranian
vessels responded to bridge-to-bridge radio queries after about an hour then
maneuvered away, Central Command said.
Iran has disrupted shipping
routes in the Persian Gulf and used asymmetrical warfare to undermine American
interests across the Middle East, though rarely does it target U.S. ships
directly.
An Iranian surface-to-air
missile system shot down a U.S. Navy surveillance drone last June while it was
operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the
drone was over its territory. The attack escalated regional tensions and fueled
a surge in oil prices.
As the U.S. military expands
its response to outbreak of Covid-19 at home and among its forces, senior
defense officials have repeatedly said that the virus wouldn’t disrupt military
operations globally.
“We continue our very important
national security missions,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said during a
press briefing on Tuesday. These include performing counterterrorism missions,
conducting freedom of navigation operations and deterring Iranian bad behavior,
he said.
The U.S. military vessels were
conducting joint integration operations with U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack
helicopters in the international waters of the Gulf when the Iranian ships
harassed them, Central Command said in the statement. The Iranian ships came
within a 50-yard (16-meter) point of approach with the USS Lewis B. Puller and
within 10 yards of the bow of the Coast Guard cutter Maui, according to the
statement.
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