A U.S. Navy video obtained by USNI News shows the moment four Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats approached the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitz earlier this week in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. The video was filmed August 23.
A U.S. Navy official called the maneuvers of the boats “unsafe and unprofessional.”
“The Iranian high rate of closure…created a dangerous, harassing situation that could have led to further escalation including additional defensive measures by Nitze,” the official said, according to Reuters.
The White House said Thursday that the intentions of Iranian boats are unclear, saying “the behavior is not acceptable, given that this U.S. ship was in international waters.”
During the encounter the boats came within 300 yards of the destroyer.
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The Strait of Hormuz remained shut on Friday and Israel traded fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, two disputes which the United States and Iran each described as violations of their ceasefire deal on the eve of their first peace talks of the war.
US President Donald Trump demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz while Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire, complicating upcoming talks aimed at turning a fragile ceasefire into lasting peace.
U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to retain military assets in the Middle East until a peace deal with Iran is reached and warned of a major escalation in fighting if it failed to comply, as oil prices rose on concerns over supply and restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.
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