Iranian Warships "Unsafely" Approach US Navy Vessel

A swarm of Iranian fast-attack boats "unsafely" approached a US Navy ship, forcing it to change direction, a US official told Reuters on Monday.

The USNS Invincible, a surveillance vessel, was accompanied in the Strait of Hormuz by three Royal Navy ships.

The official said the boats, operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, tried to get between the Royal Navy ships and the USNS Invincible, stopping within 600 yards of the US ship.

He added that attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional".

This is not the first incident between US and Iranian vessels on the Strait of Hormuz, an important strategic location for international trade.

The passage, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian sea, is allows about 20% of the world's oil to pass through on tankers.