On Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 President Trump released a public statement via Twitter saying he’s instructed the U.S. Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.
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
Just last week, six U.S. Navy warships were conducting training drills with U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters off the shores of Iran in international waters when 11 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGCN) vessels continuously harrassed the Navy’s 5th Fleet.
The IRGCN were driving extremely fast and getting super close to U.S. ships multiple times and at one point they crossed in front of the Maui’s bow only 30 feet away. They did the same thing to the Puller, getting 150 feet from the ship.
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The U.S. Navy ships issued several warnings to the Iranian gunboats to back off. They sent warnings over the radio and blew the ships’ horns but didn’t receive a response from the Iranian ships until an hour later. The gunboats finally responded and decided to distance themselves but still remained within close proximity.
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The Iranian ships were in violation of international maritime “rules of the road” and were dangerously close. The U.S. Navy said the gunboats were not in accordance with the international law to act safely because they were so close and posed a risk of miscalculation and collision.
Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2020
The President said he was informed by U.S. intelligence who intercepted the Iranian gunboats radio transmissions and they said they were planning an attack on U.S. ships. At the time, Trump warned them that if they attempted anything like that they would pay a very heavy price.
However, fast forward a week later, now Trump is saying that if they harass U.S. ships again by driving too close he will have the U.S. Navy destroy any and all Iranian gunboats doing so. Saying this publically not only let the Iranian government know the seriousness of the matter but also informs the world that American ships will be protected.