World News
Video: US Destroyer Harassed by Iranian Patrol Boats in International Waters
The guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG-94) was followed and harassed by four Iranian patrol boats on Tuesday in the Persian Gulf
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WASHINGTONÂ – The chief of US Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said Wednesday Four Iranian small boats harassed a U.S. Navy warship near the Persian Gulf, but no missiles were fired.
Adm. John Richardson said the incident involving the guided missile destroyer USS Nitze reflects the greater competition the U.S. is facing at sea.
He added it underscores the naval tensions with Tehran, which include other similar incidents as well as the brief detention in January of 10 U.S. Navy sailors who mistakenly steered into Iranian waters.
A U.S. defense official said the Iranian boats approached the Nitze at high speed on Wednesday, in an unsafe and unprofessional manner. The destroyer fired ten flares in the direction of the Iranian boats and sounded the ship’s whistle several times in an effort to warn the boats away, the official said.
The Nitze also tried to communicate with the Iranians over the radio, and also changed course to avoid the vessels.
The official said two boats ignored the warnings and continued to speed toward the Nitze until they were within 300 yards of the U.S. ship. The USS Nitze a guided missile destroyer was in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz with the USS Mason. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the incident publicly so spoke anonymously.
Richardson said the encounter raises questions about what is the “new normal,” adding, “We have to be mindful that we don’t become complacent as things get steadily busier, steadily more engaging and that we’re thoughtful about how we approach those challenges.”
Iranian Defence Minister Gen. Hosein Dehghan defended the actions of it’s four vessels conducting a “high-speed intercept†saying “If any foreign vessel enters our waters, we will give them a warning and if it is an act of aggression, we will confront them.†Despite the ship being in International waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
Last December, Iranian ships fired rockets near U.S. warship and other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and a month later flew an unarmed drone over the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
The January detention incident triggered a Navy investigation which found that the sailors failed to navigate properly and did not use appropriate communications as they sailed near Farsi Island, a base for the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in the Persian Gulf.
The Iranians boarded the boats, pointed their guns at the U.S. sailors and took them to the island where they were held overnight. They were released after Washington intervened.
Several of the sailors were fired from their jobs or disciplined in connection with the incident.
