Iranian Boat Aimed at US Helicopter, But Didn’t Shoot

Pentagon Condemns 'Provocative' Behavior as Helicopter Flew Off Iranian Coast

The Pentagon has found a new excuse to be furious at Iran today, claiming they behaved in a “provocative” and “unprofessional” manner in an incident off the coast of Iran. A US MH-60 attack helicopter flying around just outside of Iranian waters reportedly had something pointed at them.

One of the small Iranian boats inside Iranian waters off the coast of Iran is claimed to have “pointed at” the helicopter with some sort of weapon. Some reports suggested it was a machine gun, but others say it couldn’t be confirmed. Either way, no shots were fired.

The Pentagon insisted that the people in the helicopter didn’t “feel threatened,” but they’re still furious at Iran, claiming that the not shooting that happened is an “escalation.” The helicopter ultimately flew back to the US aircraft carrier which is always parked off Iran’s coast in case the US decides to follow through on years of threats to attack the country.

This is the latest in a long series of incidents in which Iranian boats didn’t shoot at US military assets off the coast of Iran, each of which ended with angry condemnations from the Pentagon and several days of bellicose proclamations from US officials.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.