American Vessel Fired Warning Shots Towards Iranian Military Boat in the Persian Gulf

On Thursday, September 4, the U.S. Department of Defense and CNN reported another maritime incident in the northern Persian Gulf involving an Iranian military speedboat against two American patrol vessels and a Kuwaiti ship. The report indicates that the incident occurred on Wednesday, with the Iranian boat patrolling around the two mentioned vessels and a Kuwaiti ship. A U.S. Department of Defense official confirmed the news, stating that the Iranian boat's actions were 'unsafe' and 'unprofessional.' According to Reuters, the official, who wished to remain anonymous, said that after a flare was launched towards the Iranian boat without effect, the vessel 'USS Squal' fired warning shots three times using a .50 caliber machine gun. He added that initially, three Iranian boats were present, but warning shots were fired at one of them. The official clarified that one of the Iranian boats even approached the American vessel to within 193 meters. CNN also reported that after the Iranian boat refused to leave the area during a radio communication, American patrol vessels fired into the surrounding waters. The U.S. Department of Defense had also reported another incident in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, stating that four Iranian boats harassed the 'USS Nimitz' destroyer at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. In this context, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said on Thursday that the purpose of the four Iranian boats approaching the American ship in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz is unclear, but such actions could increase tensions. These statements come as Hossein Dehghan, the Iranian Defense Minister, implicitly accused the American destroyer of entering Iranian waters. Dehghan stated that the monitoring of foreign vessels by Iranian naval units in the Persian Gulf 'naturally occurs in our territorial waters.'