A Navy destroyer opened fire Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz after four Iranian patrol boats behaved in a way that a U.S. defense official described as “harassing.”
The USS Mahan, a guided-missile destroyer, fired three warning shots at four Iranian boats after at least one of them traveled within 900 yards of the Mahan. It was traveling north through the strait toward the Persian Gulf with two other Navy vessels, the amphibious craft USS Makin Island and the oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl, a U.S. defense official said.
The Iranian boats “broke away after the warning shots were fired,” and they established contact with the Mahan by radio by asking for its course and speed, a U.S. defense official said.
The move came one day before Iran’s parliament on Monday approved expanded military spending, including funds for its long-range missile program, Iranian media reported.
Iran insists its ballistic missile tests do not violate a 2015 accord with world powers aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear advances. But the nuclear deal specifies that Iran halt development of missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads. Iran, in turn, claims its missile program is not designed for such warheads.
Trump has pledged to oppose any expansion of Iran’s missile capabilities, which Iran asserts can already reach Israel and other points in the region.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the enlarged military spending also includes programs such as armed drones and cyber-warfare capabilities.
Featured Image: Petty Officer 1st Class Tim Comerford, Navy.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post
