Aggressive IRGC Naval Vessels Cause Near-Collision With U.S. Navy In International Waters

(New York, N.Y.) — Three vessels operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Navy (IRGCN) were steered aggressively and in an unsafe close proximity to two U.S. vessels on Monday, the USS Sirocco and USNS Choctaw County, operating lawfully in international waters. According to reports from U.S. military officials, the IRGC vessels veered off course and away from the American ships after the Sirocco sounded an audible warning and sent a warning flare. The IRGCN has invested immensely in honing its asymmetric warfare capabilities, such as naval mines, small boats, anti-ship cruise missiles, and fast-attack craft, and has been known for aggressive encounters with the US Navy.  

In addition to the IRGCN’s reckless and provocative behavior against the U.S. Navy, the Iranian regime has also attacked commercial vessels and taken vessels hostage to extract concessions from the international community. Further, Tehran has used international shipping companies to transport illegal weaponry for the purpose of building and sustaining its terror proxy networks in the Middle East. 

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has documented 28 specific instances in which the IRGCN hijacked, abducted, or seized seafaring vessels on international waters; 30 interdictions of Iranian weapons or drugs at sea; 22 unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers by the IRGCN in close proximity to U.S. Navy vessels; 12 IRGCN UAV, missile, or mine attacks at sea; 14 Iran-backed Houthi attacks at sea; and other high-profile instances of Iran menacing maritime channels and exploiting the shipping industry to nefarious ends in its resource, Iran’s Threat to Maritime Security.  

These actions prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration to issue numerous advisories with warnings for merchant vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and Western Indian Ocean. 

To read UANI’s resource Iran’s Threat to Maritime Security, please click here. 

To read UANI’s resource IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), please click here. 

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