U.S. military ship fires 30 warning shots after encounter with Iranian vessels

Last Updated: May 10, 2021By
FILE PHOTO: The USS Monterey military vessel is seen docked in the Black Sea harbour of Constanta, 250 km (155 miles) east of Bucharest June 7, 2011. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel/File Photo

A U.S. Coast Guard ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and other American Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the warning shots were fired after the Iranian fast boats came as close as 150 yards (450 feet) of six U.S. military vessels that were escorting the guided-missile submarine Georgia.

The U.S. coast guard cutter fired the warning shots from a .50 caliber machine gun before the Iranian vessels left, Kirby said.

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