Iranians threatened U.S. ships in Hormuz: Pentagon | Reuters
By Andrew Gray
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five Iranian boats made aggressive maneuvers and showed hostile intent against three U.S. Navy ships at the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route in the Gulf, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The Pentagon said the incident was serious. It described the Iranian actions as "careless, reckless and potentially hostile" and said Tehran should provide an explanation.
In Tehran, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman had no immediate comment on U.S. accounts of the incident.
The incident was the latest sign of tension between Washington and Tehran, at odds over a range of issues from Iran's nuclear program to U.S. allegations of Iranian support for terrorism.
U.S. President George W. Bush is due to travel to the Middle East this week on a trip he has said is partly aimed at countering Iranian influence.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Oil prices briefly rose on the news about the confrontation as dealers weighed the threat to oil shipments along the key shipping route. Crude futures jumped 49 cents to $98.40 a barrel before slipping back.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the three U.S. ships had been in international waters passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday when they were approached by five fast boats, at least some of which were visibly armed.
The officials said the Iranian vessels also dropped small white boxes into the water. It was not clear what the boxes contained.
One official said the move may have been an attempt to ascertain what tactics the U.S. ships would use if objects were dropped into the strait.
In October, the United States designated the Revolutionary Guard Corps a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and its elite Qods force a supporter of terrorism.
The incident occurred on the eve of a visit to the Middle East by U.S. President George W. Bush, who said last week that one of the aims of his trip was to counter Iran's ambitions in the region.
Washington has been engaged in a long standoff with Tehran over Iran's nuclear program.
In March, Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines in the Gulf and accused them of trespassing in Iranian territory while they inspected a merchant vessel. London maintained the British personnel were in Iraqi waters.
The British personnel were held for almost two weeks before being freed in what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said was a "gift" to the British people.
In Tehran, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman had no immediate comment on U.S. accounts of the incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that the harassment of U.S. Navy ships by Iran was "provocative" and warned Tehran against taking such actions in the future.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Patricia Wilson
By Andrew Gray
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five Iranian boats made aggressive maneuvers and showed hostile intent against three U.S. Navy ships at the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route in the Gulf, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The Pentagon said the incident was serious. It described the Iranian actions as "careless, reckless and potentially hostile" and said Tehran should provide an explanation.
In Tehran, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman had no immediate comment on U.S. accounts of the incident.
The incident was the latest sign of tension between Washington and Tehran, at odds over a range of issues from Iran's nuclear program to U.S. allegations of Iranian support for terrorism.
U.S. President George W. Bush is due to travel to the Middle East this week on a trip he has said is partly aimed at countering Iranian influence.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Oil prices briefly rose on the news about the confrontation as dealers weighed the threat to oil shipments along the key shipping route. Crude futures jumped 49 cents to $98.40 a barrel before slipping back.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the three U.S. ships had been in international waters passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday when they were approached by five fast boats, at least some of which were visibly armed.
The officials said the Iranian vessels also dropped small white boxes into the water. It was not clear what the boxes contained.
One official said the move may have been an attempt to ascertain what tactics the U.S. ships would use if objects were dropped into the strait.
In October, the United States designated the Revolutionary Guard Corps a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and its elite Qods force a supporter of terrorism.
The incident occurred on the eve of a visit to the Middle East by U.S. President George W. Bush, who said last week that one of the aims of his trip was to counter Iran's ambitions in the region.
Washington has been engaged in a long standoff with Tehran over Iran's nuclear program.
In March, Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines in the Gulf and accused them of trespassing in Iranian territory while they inspected a merchant vessel. London maintained the British personnel were in Iraqi waters.
The British personnel were held for almost two weeks before being freed in what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said was a "gift" to the British people.
In Tehran, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman had no immediate comment on U.S. accounts of the incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday that the harassment of U.S. Navy ships by Iran was "provocative" and warned Tehran against taking such actions in the future.
"We urge the Iranians to refrain from such provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Patricia Wilson
