US destroyer fires warning shots at Iranian fast attack boat

US Navy ships had to fire warning shots at Iranian vessels when they approached within a distance of less than a kilometer.

US destroyer USS Mahan. Photo: Wikipedia

The US destroyer USS Mahan fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack boats after they approached at high speed near the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported today, citing two US defense officials.

The incident happened on January 7, whenUSS Mahan establishes radio contact with ships of the ForceThe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, but they did not respond to requests to reduce speed, continued to ask questions to the Mahan ship, according tounnamed officialsThe Iranian vessels came within 800 meters of the Mahan, despite it being escorted by two US military ships.

Faced with that situation,The US ship fired warning shots, and the Navy helicopter also dropped smoke flares before firing.

Similar incidents happen frequently, an official said.The warning shots were just one of seven incidents between the Mahan and Iranian vessels over the weekend, but the rest were reported as safe.

Last July, US President-elect Donald Trump vowed that any Iranian ship that provoked the US Navy in the Gulf would be "blown away".

The incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Nytimes

According to VNE