Iran’s belligerence in the Persian Gulf continues as it threatened two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News
Iranian air force warplanes fired warning shots at two coalition warships on Monday, Iranian media reported.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said that the clash occurred during the first of the two-day Muhammad Rasoulallah 5 (Muhammad, the Messenger of God) war games.
Iran’s Tasnim news reported that Iranian military aircraft “gave warning” to two foreign warships near the country’s southern waters, forcing the vessels to leave the zone of the war game.
Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, the ranking Army commander and spokesperson for the war game, said that the two warships, belonging to the Saudi-led coalition forces, approached the drill zone to monitor the Iranian Navy units. He claimed that army drones detected the two vessels during the war game, after which reconnaissance aircraft flew over the coalition warships, “gave them warnings” and forced them to leave the drill zone.
He did not elaborate on the “warning” the ships received.
The Iranian armed forces hold routine military drills throughout the year. This annual drill is taking place near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a key waterway through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes, and it has been the scene of previous confrontations between the US and Iran. Iran’s naval belligerence in the region has grown significantly in recent years.
Iran often clashes with the US navy, and so far this year, the Navy has recorded at least 14 instances of what it describes as “unsafe and/or unprofessional” interactions with Iranians forces.