Trump to Iran: US will ‘shoot down’ close boats
Tensions rise as Tehran launches military satellite
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has told the Navy to shoot down and destroy any Iranian fast boats that harass U.S. naval ships, in what would be a sharp escalation of the risky maneuvers performed by the two adversaries in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
The president’s abrupt statement, which he announced on Twitter, came on the morning that Iran successfully launched a military satellite and a week after the Pentagon accused Iran of sending 11 fast boats to conduct “dangerous and harassing approaches” to six U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the satellite launch and demanded that the U.N. Security Council hold Iran accountable for the potential violation of international guidelines reBut stricting Tehran’s nuclearcapable missile program.
He noted that the government in Tehran had previously claimed that its missile launches were linked to commercial efforts — and not to its military, as it did Wednesday.
“I think today’s launch proves what we’ve been saying all along here in the United States,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.
He noted that the launch was carried out by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has been designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.
In the encounter last week with U.S. warships, a swarm of Iranian fast boats, according to the Defense Department, “repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns” of the U.S. ships at high speed, coming within 10 yards of one ship.
Trump did not say anything when the episode took place last week; such maneuvers have occurred for years, as U.S. warships ply the Persian Gulf near Iranian territorial waters and Iran shows its ire by sending fast boats to harass the ships. Usually, the incidents end with warnings from the Pentagon.
Trump on Wednesday suddenly escalated the potential U.S. response, in a tweet that seemed to catch the Pentagon by surprise.
“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Navy referred all questions to the White House. A Defense Department official said the service had not received any formal policy directive from Trump ordering the Navy to start shooting Iranian gunboats.
A U.S. military official said there have been no further incidents with the Iranians, fast boats or otherwise, since the one last week.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, David Norquist, deputy defense secretary, said Trump’s statement on Twitter was more of a warning to the Iranians than a change to the current rules of engagement.
“The president issued an important warning to the Iranians, what he was emphasizing is that all of our ships retain the right of self-defense,” Norquist said. “The president is describing and responding to poor behavior of the Iranians.”
Standing alongside Norquist, Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he liked “that the president warned an adversary.”
The president has a history of Twitter announcements that seem at odds with traditional policy, including that involving the military and its rules and operations.
U.S. military units on the ground and at sea abide by strict rules on “escalation of force,” a ladder that includes audible warnings, flares and maneuvers before a shot is fired, often as a last measure.
Trump’s directive, in many ways, discounts this entire process and could lead to injury and death on an already crowded, and often confusing, waterway such as the Persian Gulf.
Hyten declined to comment on the results of the Iranian missile test, citing classified intelligence.
“I won’t go into those details, but it went a very long way, which means it has the ability, once again, to threaten their neighbors, our allies,” Hyten said. “This is just another example of Iranian malign behavior, and it goes right along with the harassment from the fast boats.”
The Navy released video of last week’s naval incident, which showed fast boats zooming close to a U.S. warship.
Former U.S. commanders in the Middle East said Wednesday that U.S. Navy officers were already welltrained in dealing with the ebb and flow of Iran’s naval harassment and did not need new directives from Trump.
“Commanders are wellaware and already have sufficient guidance to deal with these types of events,” said Vice Adm. John Miller, a retired commander of the 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain.