A U.S. Coast Guard patrol ship fired twice in the Strait of Hormuz after what the Pentagon called an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter with a group of Iranian speedboats.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Monday (May 10) called the high-speed encounter “not trivial” because it occurred in waters where ships have limited space to operate. The incident involved 13 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) speedboats.
According to Kirby, six U.S. ships, including the USS Monterey (USS Monterey) missile cruiser, were escorting the USS Georgia (USS Georgia) missile submarine into the strait. During this time, the Iranian speedboat was “moving at a very fast pace …… The USS Georgia (USS Georgia) is a missile submarine.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USS Maui (USCGC Maui) opened fire with a .50 machine gun as a warning when the Iranian speedboat was less than 300 meters from the U.S. ship, and when the Iranian speedboat came within 140 meters, the USS Maui ” fired again as a warning, at which point the Iranian speedboat retreated.
“There are certain limitations on your ability to maneuver in the strait,” Kirby said.
“This is a choke point in the area. So it’s not a trivial matter,” he added. “This is the kind of behavior that could potentially cause somebody to get hurt and potentially lead to a miscarriage of justice in the area. It’s not in anybody’s interest.”
A statement Monday from the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said 13 Islamic Republic of Iran Guard Navy speedboats split into two groups, two of which approached the U.S. ships at more than 32 knots, “with their weapons removed from their shrouds and personnel deployed.”
The statement said two U.S. ships, the USS Squall patrol boat and the USS Maui patrol ship, attempted to greet the two speedboats, including repeatedly issuing bridge-to-bridge verbal warnings and The USS Maui then fired a warning shot before giving five short blasts of the horn, an internationally recognized red flag.
This is the second time in recent weeks that a U.S. ship has fired a warning shot at an Iranian speedboat after what the U.S. side described as an unsafe and unprofessional encounter at sea.
The USS Firebolt patrol boat fired a warning shot at three Islamic Republic of Iran Guard Force Navy speedboats after an encounter with them in the North Arabian Sea on April 27.
In that incident, after several unsuccessful attempts by U.S. forces to call the Iranian speedboat, the Iranian speedboat came within 62 meters of the “Thunderbolt.
The U.S. Navy also complained about another incident that occurred in early April. At that time, an Iranian Navy ship, accompanied by three attack speedboats, harassed two other U.S. ships and came within 64 meters of them before retreating.
Despite concerns, U.S. Defense Department and military officials have been reluctant to directly blame 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,” Adm. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told a Web video last month viewers. “Rather, it was an irresponsible action by local commanders on the ground.”
“We’re very careful to make sure we don’t get caught in a provocative cycle as a result of this,” McKenzie added. “Fortunately, our warriors are pretty great …… they’re mature and have the ability to de-escalate the situation.”
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