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General Joseph Votel, commander of CENTCOM, observed routine flight operations aboard Essex when the incident occurred.
The meeting with the two Iranian boats was deemed "safe and professional" by the navy because the Iranians have not shown any hostile intent, officials said.
There was no indication that Iranian crews were aware of Votel's presence. One official said that the two Iranian ships had started observing Essex, and had begun sailing alongside the US ship.
At one point, one of the Iranian boats crossed in front of Essex about 300 meters from the American ship.
In July 2016, Votel had another close encounter with the Iranian Navy when an American warship aboard which he was on board was approached by five armed Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf.
