WASHINGTON – A U.S. Navy ship fired on a fast approaching Iranian ship Tuesday in the latest U.S. skirmish with Iranian vessels in the northern Arabian Gulf.
The patrol craft USS Thunderbolt fired on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessel in the Gulf at 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, a defense official said, after the Iranian ship sped toward the Thunderbolt and got as close as 150 yards.
“It is out of the norm for them to come in that close at that rate of speed,” the defense official said on the condition of anonymity. “We had to act for the safety of the crew.”
The official was not certain what type of round was fired but said the Iranian vessel stopped its approach after the Thunderbolt fired.
The cruiser USS Vella Gulf and two U.S. Coast Guard vessels were also in the area at the time of the incident, the official said.
TCopp@mco.com
Tara Copp is a Pentagon correspondent for the Associated Press. She was previously Pentagon bureau chief for Sightline Media Group.
