The U.S. Navy announced on the 5th (local time) that it had neutralized an attempt by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to obstruct the navigation of civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet claimed in a statement that three IRGC fast boats interfered with the navigation of merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. They also released footage showing armed IRGC personnel on fast boats performing dangerous maneuvers close to the merchant ships.
The 5th Fleet identified the navigation interference using the maritime patrol aircraft P-8A Poseidon, and the Aegis destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74) and the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Lancaster were dispatched to the scene. When the warships and helicopters from both countries approached, the fast boats returned to Iranian territorial waters. The Iranian military did not immediately respond to the U.S. Navy's statement on the matter.
The U.S. and Iranian militaries have recently heightened tensions by repeatedly facing near-collision situations in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC seized two oil tankers passing through the strait in April and last month. Iran claimed last month that a U.S. submarine had intruded, which the U.S. denied.
The Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is only 40 km wide and is a passage for about 20% of the world's maritime oil transport. Recently, commanders of the U.S., British, and French navies responsible for the Middle East conducted a show of force by passing through the Strait of Hormuz aboard the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton.
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