WASHINGTON — A U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired about 30 caution shots after Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboats came close to U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Defense Department stated Monday.
Pentagon representative John Kirby stated the Coast Guard cutter Maui fired 2 volleys from a .50-quality gatling gun Monday when 2 Revolutionary Guard quick boats “operated in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in close proximity” to 6 U.S. vessels, consisting of the submarine USS Georgia.
Two Revolutionary Guard speedboats broke away from a group of 13, according to the Pentagon, and went to the opposite side of the U.S. development. They approached Maui and a Navy ship, the USS Squall, at more than 32 knots with their weapons discovered and manned.
The Maui fired its very first volley when 2 of the Iranian vessels approached within 300 backyards and the 2nd when the set approached within 150 backyards. After the 2nd volley, the Revolutionary Guard vessels left, Kirby stated.
The U.S. marine vessels were accompanying the submarine as it passed through on the surface area.
In a declaration to Iranian media, the IRGC Navy called the U.S. account of the event “untrue,” stated the Iranian vessels had actually kept the range needed by law, and recommended the U.S. to “avoid unprofessional behavior and obey maritime laws and regulations in order not to jeopardize the Persian Gulf security.”
The U.S. recently obstructed countless weapons from Iran in the North Arabian Sea that were bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Last month, there were 2 tense events in the Persian Gulf in between U.S. and Iranian vessels.
On April 27, a U.S. Navy ship fired alerting shots near 3 Revolutionary Guard boats that came within less than 70 backyards. On April 2, Revolutionary Guard ships consistently crossed in front of U.S. Coast Guard ships at close quarters over 3 hours.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water that links the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in between Iran on one side and the United Arab Emirates and Oman on the other.
Dan De Luce contributed.
