Iran Warns US After Navy Incident in Persian Gulf

Revolutionary Guard says patrols increased

Iran has confirmed an incident with US ships in the Persian Gulf last week, and is warning the US that any “mistake” by the US will be met with a firm response. The Revolutionary Guard reported they have increased patrols in the area.

The US Navy had presented the incident as an Iranian “provocation” last week, though Iran says they view the US to be responsible for the encounter near Iranian territorial waters. No actual fighting took place, and the incident was mostly Iranian boats being closer than US ships wanted.

Such off-shore incidents are not unheard of, but rarely escalate beyond tit-for-tat criticism. This is just another stressor in tensions that have left the US and Iran on the brink of a direct conflict.

So long as US operations are being conducted so close to Iran, Iran will inevitably send its own patrol boats to investigate, meaning such incidents are likely to recur. So long as tensions between the US and Iran remain high, any exercises in close proximity are dangerous, and could lead to uncontrolled escalation.

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.