An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy patrol boat came within about 150 metres of two American warships in the Strait of Hormuz, but the “unsafe and unprofessional” situation was de-escalated, the US military's Central Command said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Centcom said the incident took place on Monday during a routine transit in international waters by expeditionary sea base platform ship USS Lewis B Puller and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans.
“The Iranian vessel attempted to blind the bridge by shining a spotlight and crossed within 150 yards of the US ships — dangerously close, particularly at night,” Centcom said in a statement.
The situation was de-escalated with the help of audible warnings and the non-lethal use of lasers.
Centcom spokesman Col Joe Buccino said the “dangerous action in international waters is indicative of Iran’s destabilising activity across the Middle East”.
The USS Lewis B Puller at the weekend intercepted 50 tonnes of weaponry bound for Yemen from a fishing trawler on a key maritime smuggling route used by Tehran, US officials said.
US navy seizes deadly weapons on Iran-Yemen smuggling route — in pictures
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A fishing vessel on a smuggling route between Iran and Yemen was found to be carrying 50 tonnes of bullets and rocket components. All photos: US Navy -
Bags containing fuses and propellants for rockets are arranged on the flight deck of the USS Lewis B Puller, whose crew discovered the weapons on a smuggling vessel. -
In this separate raid on another vessel on November 8, sailors from the destroyer USS The Sullivans sort the large quantity of urea fertiliser and ammonium perchlorate - used to make explosives. -
The seizure made by personnel from the USS Lewis B Puller is the US Fifth Fleet's second major illegal weapons haul in a month.
