Three vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) interacted in “an unsafe and unprofessional manner” as US Navy ships entered the Persian Gulf, the navy officials revealed.
US Navy’s patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) and expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2) were conducting a routine transit in international waters when three Iranian fast inshore attack craft approached.
A video was released by the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. The ships were transiting the Strait of Hormuz on 20 June.
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The US #Navy published video of what it said was "unsafe and unprofessional" action by #Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy in the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/UuwARmi9PT
One of the IRGCN vessels approached Sirocco head-on at “a dangerously high speed” and only altered course after the US patrol coastal ship issued audible warning signals to avoid the collision.
The Iranian vessel also came within 50 yards of the US Navy ship during the interaction, and Sirocco responded by deploying a warning flare.
The full interaction among all vessels lasted one hour and ended when the IRGCN craft departed the area.
“The IRGCN’s actions did not meet international standards of professional or safe maritime behavior, increasing the risk of miscalculation and collision,” according to the US Navy.
The navy ships continued their transit without further incident. So far, Iranian government did not respond to the US Navy’s account of the incident.
Similar incidents happened in the past. In 2020, eleven vessels from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) approached the US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG) vessels in the Gulf.