Iranians Goad U.S. Warships

Jan 08, 06:02 PM

Five Iranian speedboats threatened on Sunday to blow up three U.S. Navy ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil route.

The Americans were seconds away from defending themselves when the boats, operated by Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guard, turned away at the last possible moment.

President Bush's nine-day Middle East tour starts today and is expected to include talks with Israel about contingency plans to attack Iran's nuclear sites.

There are fears in the Middle East that as a last major act of his presidency Mr Bush may bomb the sites where he believes Iran is trying to make nuclear weapons..

Senior diplomatic sources in Washington said last night that if the Iranian speedboats had continued to swarm towards their ships - a cruiser, a frigate and a destroyer - it could have been a flashpoint for war.

They were en route to the Gulf early on Sunday morning when the Iranian boats dashed to within 200 yards. One radioed to the frigate: 'We're coming at you and you'll explode in a couple of minutes.' The implication was that the speedboat crews were on a suicide mission. They sped over the waves in front of the American vessels dropping boxes which the U.S. Navy thought could contain mines..

warships A Pentagon official said: 'Five small boats were acting in a very aggressive way, charging the ships, dropping boxes in the water and causing our ships to take evasive manoeuvres.' The White House is expected to make a formal protest. Washington has warned Iran against provocative actions.

Iran played down the event, describing it as an 'ordinary occurrence'.

Last March Revolutionary Guard boats seized eight Royal Navy sailors and seven Marines in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the Gulf. The Guard is a major military, political and economic force in Iran, with ties to hardline clerics and politicians.

Roughly 17million barrels of oil are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to Asia and the West each day..

(c) 2008 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Iranians Goad U.S. Warships
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