An American Warship Forced to Change Course After Approaching IRGC Vessels

An official from the U.S. government reported on Monday, March 6, that fast boats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) approached an American warship in a "dangerous and unprofessional" manner at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters, citing the official who wished to remain anonymous, the IRGC vessels came within 550 meters of the U.S. Navy ship "USNS Invincible," forcing the warship to change its course. This incident occurred on Saturday of the current week. The mentioned warship was accompanied by three British naval vessels. The U.S. official stated that attempts were made to establish radio communication with the IRGC vessels, but there was no response, and this type of encounter was deemed "dangerous and unprofessional." Military expert Hossein Aryan provided details about the American warship, stating that it is named USNS Invincible, is white in color, measures 68 meters in length, has a displacement of nearly 2300 tons, and a speed of 11 knots with 18 civilian crew members. It is affiliated with the U.S. Military Sealift Command. He noted that the ship is equipped with a powerful dual-band S and X radar, which is capable of tracking ballistic missile launches, monitoring them, and collecting data over distances exceeding 2000 kilometers. Aryan added that the S band radar tracks missiles while the X band radar collects data. This ship has been patrolling the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean up to Diego Garcia Island for several years and has visited Bahrain multiple times. The cost of such ships is significantly lower than that of coastal radar stations, and importantly, they are mobile and can be utilized in various locations. This is not the first time that IRGC speedboats have harassed American warships. According to U.S. Department of Defense officials, on September 5 of this year, seven IRGC speedboats harassed a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf, forcing the ship to change its course to avoid a collision with one of the boats. Four IRGC speedboats also harassed the USS Nimitz on September 23, intercepting it near the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. Department of Defense official described this action as "unprofessional" and "unsafe." The following day, IRGC boats approached two American patrol vessels and a Kuwaiti ship, which faced warning shots. The recent actions of the IRGC vessels come as Donald Trump, the U.S. President, stated during his election campaign this September that if he wins the presidential election, any Iranian speedboat that harasses U.S. destroyers in the Persian Gulf will be targeted.