The US Navy said on Tuesday that its forces were engaged in a tense confrontation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The US Fifth Fleet, stationed in the Middle East, said three escort ships engaged in an “unsafe and unprofessional” standoff when the two ships, USS Sirocco and USNS Choctaw County, crossed the strait on Monday. The Navy said one of the three Iranian boats raced towards the Sirocco at high speed before changing course, which also prompted the ship to fire a warning flare during the collision.
The Navy added that what the Revolutionary Guard boats were doing “did not meet international standards for professional or safe behavior at sea, which increased the risk of miscalculation and collision.” Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident in the strait, through which one fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
It comes at a time of rising tensions in the region over stalled negotiations on an Iranian nuclear deal with world powers and Iran’s increase in uranium enrichment. The US Navy told The Associated Press that the latest incident represents the second “unsafe and unprofessional” incident with Iran in recent months.
On March 4, three rescue boats were in a tense standoff with US Navy and Coast Guard ships as they crossed the Persian Gulf through the strait for more than two hours, according to the Navy. The Navy said the Nazeri martyr’s boat came within 25 yards of USCGC Robert Goldman. “Two US Coast Guard ships transmitted several radio signals and fired warning shots,” she said. The Navy did not explain why it did not report the previous incident, especially since a larger boat approached the American warship.
