U.S. Navy commanders accused Iran of jeopardizing international navigation by the actions of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and said future incidents could result in miscalculation and lead to an armed clash.
They spoke after the U.S. aircraft carrier George HW Bush confronted what one of the commanding officers described as two sets of Iranian Navy fast-attack boats that had approached a U.S.-led, five-vessel flotilla as it entered the Strait on March 21 on a journey from the Indian Ocean into the Gulf.
It was the first time a U. .carrier entered the narrow waterway since President Donald Trump took office in January pledging a tougher U.S. stance towards Iran. Up to 30 percent of annual global oil exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our primary goal here is to provide air power to defeat and destroy ISIS (Islamic State) in northern Iraq and northern Syria. That’s our reason for being here. But from the political perspective, the change of the presidency, and General Mattis now becoming secretary of defence, we’ve received no change in guidance that we’ve had in previous years,” said Rear Admiral Will Whitesell.
U.S. commanders said Tuesday’s incident, in which the George H.W. Bush sent helicopter gunships to hover over the Iranian speedboats as some came as close as 870 meters (950 yards) away from the aircraft carrier, ended without a shot being fired.
But it underscored growing tension between the United States and Iran since the election of Trump, who has condemned the 2015 nuclear deal that his predecessor Barack Obama and leaders of five other world powers struck with Tehran and labelled the Islamic Republic “the number one terrorist state”.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran.
The last serious naval incident was in January when a U.S. destroyer fired three warning shots at four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait after they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down.
(REUTERS)
