US PATROL BOAT FIRES WARNING SHOTS AT IRANIAN SHIP

DUBAI: A US Navy patrol boat fired warning shots near an Iranian vessel that came close to it during a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, an American defence official said.

The incident involving the USS Thunderbolt, a Cycloneclass patrol ship based in Bahrain as part of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, is the latest confrontation between Iranian vessels and American warships.

The Thunderbolt was taking part in an exercise with American and other coalition vessels when the Iranian patrol boat approached it, the official said. The Iranian ship did not respond to radio calls, flares and sirens as it came within 150 yards of the Thunderbolt, forcing the US sailors aboard to fire the warning shots, the official said.

The Iranian boat went “dead in the water” after the shots and the vessels all left the area without further incident, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as the incident had yet to be made public. Iranian officials and state-run media there did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

Iran and the US frequently have tense naval encounters in the Persian Gulf. The US Navy recorded 35 instances of what it describes as “unsafe and/or unprofessional” interactions with Iranians forces in 2016, compared to 23 in 2015.