U.S. Navy Ship Fires Warning Shot at Iranian Attack Vessel

A U.S. ship fired a warning shot after a close encounter with three Iranian attack boats in international waters in the North Arabian Sea to drive them away.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet issued a statement Tuesday (April 27) accusing the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) speedboat of failing to heed radio warnings and other greetings and sailing 62 meters from the U.S. Navy patrol boat USS Thunderbolt and the U.S. Coast Guard patrol ship USS Baranoff. Baranoff” (Baranoff) patrol ship within 62 meters of the range.

The statement said the encounter occurred on Monday evening, the two U.S. ships were conducting routine security operations, the armed Iranian attack boats into “unnecessarily close” and “increased the risk of miscalculation and / or collision.

After several unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the Iranian attack boats, soldiers aboard the Thunderbolt fired a warning shot and the Iranian attack boats then departed.

“Throughout the interaction, U.S. forces proactively communicated with IRGCN ships and implemented pre-planned responses to reduce the risk of miscalculation, avoid collision and de-escalate the situation,” the Fifth Fleet statement said.

“The United States is not the aggressor,” the statement said. The statement added, “However, our forces are trained to take effective defensive measures if necessary.”

This is the second incident so far this month between a U.S. ship and an Iranian vessel.

Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Navy released video of what it said was an “unprofessional interaction” between an Iranian ship and a U.S. ship in the Arabian Gulf.

In that incident, an Iranian ship, accompanied by three attack speedboats, rioted two U.S. ships, sailed to within 64 meters and then departed, according to the U.S. account.

Despite concerns, Adm. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, which commands all U.S. forces in the Middle East, declined to directly blame the the Iranian government.

“The activities that we typically see from the naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Guard are not necessarily actions directly directed by the Supreme Leader of Iran or the Iranian national regime,” Gen. McKenzie told a Web video audience Tuesday. “Rather, it’s an irresponsible action by local commanders on the ground.”

“We were very careful to make sure that we didn’t get caught in a provocative cycle as a result of this,” McKenzie added. “Fortunately, our warriors are pretty great …… they’re mature and capable of de-escalating the situation.”