Saudi Arabia says its coastguards forced three Iranian boats out of its waters

A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s border guards on June 27 reportedly said that the country forced three Iranians boats to retreat from its waters on Thursday (June 25). While speaking to a local Saudi media outlet, the spokesman said that the Iranian vessels refused to stop after they entered Saudi waters despite repeated warnings. The Saudi officials even fired warning shots in a bid to stop the vessels from entering and forcing them to retreat. 

According to an Iranian state media, on the other hand, a local official in Bushehr province on the Gulf said that the Saudi coastguard had opened fire on Iranian fishermen, who had strayed into Saudi waters. The media outlet also reported that no one was hurt during the firing of warning shots. The Iranian fishermen had reportedly left on June 21 for a 10-day trip. The Iranian report, however, did not specify when the engagement with the Saudi coastguard occurred. 

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‘Dangerous and provocative’ 

In recent times there have been many incidents when Iranian vessels have come close to US Navy and coast guard ships in the Gulf. While Washington described the incident as ‘dangerous and provocative’, Iran also recently issued a statement and reportedly claimed that it was ready to destroy US warships if they threatened Iranian ships. 

Back in 2019, the tensions in the region’s waters also heightened after a series of attacks on oil tankers. As per reports, one of those involved two Saudi oil tankers which were attacked in the Gulf. Back then, the US and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran, however, Tehran denied the charge. 

(Image: Representative/AP) 

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