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US fires shots at Iranian ships in Persian Gulf

A US WARSHIP fired warning shots at three Iranian speedboats that came close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the navy confirmed on Tuesday.

It said that US naval vessels “retain the inherent right to act in self-defence” after the incident, which took place in international waters in the northern stretch of the Gulf on Monday.

“The US crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio and loudhailer devices,” the US Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

As the Iranian boats continued to move closer, “the crew of Firebolt then fired warning shots and the IRGCN [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy] vessels moved away to a safe distance from the US vessels,” it said.

Tehran accused Washington of being the “main source of insecurity” in the region during a video conference today entitled The Persian Gulf Is Our Home.

“The United States wants to gain influence over the region and the global economy through presences in the Persian Gulf,” said Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

He expressed hope that other countries “will rid them of their foothold in the region and celebrate a day when foreign troops are expelled from the Persian Gulf.” 

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