Iranian Navy Claims it Warned Off U.S. Navy Vessel

[Brief] On Sunday, the Iranian Navy said that an Iranian missile boat warned off an American naval vessel as it approached an Iranian dhow. 

"The dhow, Shams, had set sail from the port city of Jask in southeastern Iran to test its motor. Forty-five miles into the sea, the vessel’s motor started to malfunction, prompting the sailors to alert the Iranian Navy," the Iranian Navy said in a statement to official outlet PressTV. The Iranian forces suggested that an American warship approached the dhow, then retreated. "The American warship left the area with a warning and the announcement of the Falakhan missile boat's timely presence in the region," the Iranian Navy said. 

Confrontations between American and Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf are routine, including encounters that end with warning flares or warning shots. But the U.S. Navy contended that the latest event did not happen. "At no time was there any direct contact between the U.S. and Iranian maritime forces," U.S. Naval Forces Central Command told Radio Free Europe. NAVCENTCOM said that the incident involved a small vessel that was about 75 nm from the patrol boat USS Tempest, and that another vessel offered assistance.