Iran blames US for tense Persian Gulf encounter

Iran has blamed US forces for a tense encounter that recently took place in the Persian Gulf.

"It was the American forces that hindered the legal and normal patrolling by our forces in the region. And this pushed our forces react and give them a necessary warning," said Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council acknowledged on Sunday it had a tense encounter with US warships in the Persian Gulf last week.

But it offered no evidence that American forces sparked the incident.

The incident last Wednesday saw the US Navy release video of small Iranian speed boats coming close to American warships as they operated with US Army Apache helicopters in the northern Persian Gulf near Kuwait.

The IRGC claimed that its forces faced "the unprofessional and provocative actions of the United States and their indifference to warnings."

It said the Americans later withdrew.

The incident came amid still-heightened tensions between Iran and the US, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.