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| US Coast Guard fires at Iranian boat in Gulf |
| 2014-08-29 |
| A US Coast Guard vessel fired in self-defence on an Iranian boat in the Arabian Gulf, the Navy said on Wednesday, an encounter that could exacerbate tensions between the two countries as they work to hammer out a lasting deal over Iran's nuclear programme. Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said personnel on a small boat dispatched from the US Coast Guard patrol boat Monomoy fired a single shot when it saw crew on a nearby Iranian dhow training one of its two .50-caliber machine guns on them and preparing to fire. “This action by the dhow's crew demonstrated hostile intent which resulted in the defensive fire by the Coast Guardsmen,” he said. No Americans were wounded in the encounter, which happened in international waters around 11.30am local time on Tuesday, Stephens said. The Monomoy was operating on “a routine maritime security operation” when it contacted the dhow's bridge. After initial contact, the Iranian vessel stopped communicating and the Coast Guard ship deployed a small boat to investigate, Stephens said. It was not clear if the shot hit the Iranian vessel or if anyone onboard was injured. Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment. American, Iranian and other countries' military vessels routinely patrol the Gulf, a key route for international oil shipments, usually without incident. Speed boats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, however, have passed close to US ships in incidents that have raised alarm in Washington. |
| Posted by:Steve White |