President Trump said he directed the Navy to destroy Iranian military vessels that conduct provocative maneuvers near U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf.
“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said last week that 11 small vessels belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy conducted “dangerous and harassing approaches” toward U.S. ships.
The U.S. ships were conducting operations with Army Apache helicopters in the northern Persian Gulf, the statement said.
The Iranian vessels “repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds,” a Navy spokesman said in a statement. The U.S. ships issued multiple warnings but received no response, the military said.
