Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy warns US, says will give 'decisive response'

Escalating the feud between Iran and the United States, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy recently said that the Islamic Republic would give a “decisive response to any mistake” committed by the United States in the gulf region. A statement published on the Revolutionary Guard’s news website advised the Americans to follow international regulations and maritime protocols in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It also suggested the US navy to refrain from any “ adventurism and fake stories”

"They should be assured that the Revolutionary Guards navy and the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran sees the dangerous actions of foreigners in the region as a threat to national security and its red line and any error in the calculation on their part will receive a decisive response," the statement added. 

Read: Iranian Naval Vessels Allegedly Manoeuvre Near US Ships

Read: US Accuses Iran Of 'dangerous' Harassment Of US Warships

America's accusation

This comes in response to a previous statement by the US navy wherein it asserted that 11 vessels from the Revolutionary guard Navy had come “dangerously close” to US Navy and Coast Guard ship in the gulf. The statement made on April 14 also dubbed Iran’s moves as “dangerous and provocative”. It revealed that in the group of US ships, was the USS Paul Hamilton, a Navy destroyer, and the USS Lewis B. Puller, a ship that serves as an afloat landing base adding that the US ships were operating with U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters in international waters. 

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"The dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, were not in accordance with the internationally recognized Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea ‘rules of the road’ or internationally recognized maritime customs, and were not in accordance with the obligation under international law to act with due regard for the safety of other vessels in the area,” the statement said. 

The Americans issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio, five short blasts from the ships’ horns and long-range acoustic noise maker devices, but received no immediate response, the U.S. statement said. After about an hour, the Iranian vessels responded to the bridge-to-bridge radio queries, then manoeuvred away.

Read: Iran’s Guard Acknowledges Encounter With US During A Drill

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(Image credits: AP)