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Two U.S. defense
officials told Reuters on Monday that a small vessel operated by
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) trained its weapon on a
Navy MH-60 helicopter on Saturday as it flew within half a mile
(0.8 km) of two Iranian vessels in international waters.
The defense officials called Iran's behavior "provocative".
"Everybody knows that the main problem in the Persian Gulf is
the U.S. presence," an unidentified official in the
Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
The official said all international vessels were plying the
Strait of Hormuz - through which 40 percent of the world's
sea-borne oil is shipped - with no difficulty and it was only
the Americans who complained by making false cases against Iran.
He further called the U.S. behavior "improper and
unprofessional", but did not address the allegation that the
IRGC vessel aimed its guns at the helicopter.
Several similar incidents have occurred this year. In September,
a U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after an Iranian
fast-attack craft came within 90 meters (295 feet) of it.
During his presidential election campaign, Republican Donald
Trump vowed that any Iranian vessel that harassed the U.S. Navy
in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water" if he were elected.
Trump is due to take office on Jan. 20.
(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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