[ad_1]
Iranian speedboats invade USS Essex with General Votel on board the warship
WASHINGTON – Two Iranian speedboats approached the USS Essex in the Persian Gulf on Friday, while the US General in charge of operations throughout the Middle East visited the sailors and Marines aboard the ship. Amphibious assault, Pentagon officials said.
The boats arrived about 300 meters from Essex while General Joseph Votel, the chief of the central command, was on board, according to a defense official. The navy ships of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have shown no hostile intent towards the vessel, which is under the control of the US 5th Fleet in the Central Command area of responsibility.
"Today's exchanges with US 5th Fleet and IRGCN have been qualified as safe and professional," Vice Admiral Scott Stearney, commander of the 5th Fleet, said in a statement. "The US Navy continues to operate where international law permits."
It was not the first time that Iranian ships had approached a warship that Votel was visiting in the area. In July 2016, the general was aboard the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock, sailing in the Hormuz Strait, when Iranian boats approached aggressively quickly.
Votel joked Friday on Iranian fast boats, according to an Associated Press report.
"I really appreciate that you have organized the arrival of the Iranians," said the general to the ship's crew, according to an AP reporter aboard Essex. with Votel. "… It is not surprising that we have an Iranian interest today around one of the largest ships we have in the world. [Persian] gulf right now. "
The Essex carries Marine F-35B Lightning II fighters from the 13th Marine Shipping Unit. Last month, advanced stealth fighters launched airstrikes on Taliban targets in Afghanistan since Essex, becoming the first to use American F-35s in combat.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have tightened in recent months after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would pull out of the overall joint action plan, better known as the Iran, and the reinstatement of sanctions imposed on the Iranian economy.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon has reported no insecure or unprofessional interaction between US warships and Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf in 2018, after years of such events occurring regularly.
In 2017, the navy reported 14 such incidents. In 2016, he reported 36.
Votel played down the prospect of an armed conflict with Iran earlier this month.
"I do not think we're trying to make war on Iran, and I do not think that's what we're focusing on," Votel told reporters at the Pentagon on Oct. 4.
Stars and Stripes reporter Joshua Karsten contributed to this report.
[email protected]
Twitter: @CDicksteinDC
[ad_2]Source link
