Pentagon accuses Iran Navy of 'dangerous' harassment in Gulf

Iranian boats repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of US vessels, increasing the risk of collision, the US said.

By AFP

2020-04-16

US Navy and Army vessels and aircraft conduct joint integration exercises in Gulf waters in March. [US Navy]

The US Department of Defense accused Tehran of dangerous and provocative actions Wednesday (April 15th) after 11 Iranian Navy vessels harassed US ships in the Gulf.

The Pentagon said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boats "repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the US vessels at extremely close range and high speeds", coming at one point within nine metres of the bow of one.

At the time the US Navy and Coast Guard ships were conducting operations in international waters in the northern Gulf with Apache attack helicopters, the US Navy said in a statement.

The much smaller speedboat-like IRGC Navy vessels ignored warnings from the US ships for about one hour, before finally responding to radio communications and then leaving, the US side said.

"The IRGC's dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision," the US said, adding they violated maritime customs and laws.