The Iranian fast boats conducted various maneuvers at sea as they have in the past to show that Iran is not deterred by the US who always has warships based in the Gulf and often on patrol in the region, including usually an aircraft carrier, destroyers, and other vessels. The US has also recently increased its public movement of warplanes and ships to the region saying the goal is to deter Iran via these additions to US Central Command.
Iran’s new video, which actually took place on August 17, shows that their naval fast boats approached a US warship and communicated with it. The Iranians identified themselves as “Sepah Navy Station” and claimed that US helicopters were entering Iranian territorial waters. They said the US should move any helicopters that were airborne back to the US naval ships and that if the US did not then Iran would open fire.
The videos of the incident were then edited to make it appear as though the US helicopters had returned to the US ships.
The Iranians claim that this shows their “presence” in the Gulf. Iran appeared to use a drone to conduct surveillance of the incident and the footage appears to show helicopters on the deck of the US ship. While Iran claims that it intercepted the USS Bataan and USS Thomas Hudner ships, it is unclear if the incident happened the way Iran claims it unfolded. A report by Fox News said that the Pentagon provided a statement claiming that the Iranian reports were not true. READ MORE
