IRGC Neutralizes Provocative US Navy Move

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said it has frustrated a provocative move by a US Navy ship in the Persian Gulf after it reportedly fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel.

“This morning, a US Navy ship in the north of the Persian Gulf sailed toward an IRGC Navy ship, which was patrolling in international waters, and fired two shots into the air with the aim of provocation and intimidation,” the IRGC said in a statement on Tuesday, Press TV reported. The IRGC ship paid no attention to the “provocative and unprofessional” move by the US Navy and continued with its mission, it added. After a while, the statement said, the US Navy ship left the area.

The IRGC issued the statement after western media quoted a US official as saying that a US Navy ship had fired warning shots toward an Iranian vessel near the northern Persian Gulf on Tuesday after the Iranian vessel came within 150 yards (137 meters) of it. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed the USS Thunderbolt fired the warning shots after the Iranian vessel ignored radio calls and the ship’s whistle.