WASHINGTON — A U.S Coast Guard cutter fired about 30 warning shots after Iranian Revolutionary Guard speedboats came close to U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said Monday.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the USCG Maui fired two volleys from a .50 caliber machine gun on Monday when two IRGC fast boats “operated in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in close proximity” to six U.S. ships, including the submarine USS Georgia.
Two IRGC speedboats broke away from a group of 13, according to the Pentagon, and went to the opposite side of the U.S. formation. They approached Maui and a Navy ship, the USS Squall, at more than 32 knots with their weapons uncovered and manned.
The Maui fired its first volley when two of the Iranian vessels approached within 300 yards, and the second when the pair approached within 150 yards. After the second volley, said Kirby, the IRGC vessels left.
The U.S. naval vessels were escorting the submarine as it transited on the surface.
May 9, 202101:07
The incident comes just days after the U.S. intercepted thousands of weapons from Iran in the North Arabian Sea that were bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In April, there were two tense incidents in the Persian Gulf between U.S. and Iranian vessels.
On April 27, a U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots near three IRGC boats that came within less than 70 yards. On April 2, IRGC ships repeatedly crossed in front of U.S. Coast Guard ships at close range over a period of three hours.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman between Iran on one side and the United Arab Emirates and Oman on the other.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dan De Luce contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
