US Navy Aids Iranian Fishing Boat

An American destroyer has come to the aid of an Iranian fishing boat after a pirate attack off Yemen, the US Navy said on Wednesday.

Iran’s Coastguard called the US naval command in Bahrain to report Tuesday’s incident and to ask for help following the attack south of Yemen’s Socotra Island, the US Navy claimed in a statement, AFP reported.

The US command coordinated with an international naval taskforce that is in the region to battle pirates.

Along with the Japanese destroyer JS Amagiri, the USS Howard reached the vessel and its sailors “provided food and water, made repairs and gave medical aid to three injured civilian mariners”, the statement read.

The coordination between Iranian authorities and the US stands in stark contrast to a series of recent encounters in which the US has accused Iranian naval forces of showing unprofessional behavior.

For instance, in July, a US Navy patrol ship fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel in the Persian Gulf as it allegedly closed in on the American vessel.