Forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf. FILE IMAGE: IRNA
Speedboats of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had intercepted a vessel of the US Navy in the Persian Gulf, a number of Iranian news sources reported on October 7.
The Iranian state TV aired footage of the incident. The footage shows several Iranian armed speedboats chasing after a Riverine Command Boat (RCB) of the US Navy. The fast assault boat was apparently escorting a US carrier strike group.
According to the Associated Press, AP, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, Commander Timothy Hawkins, said he was unaware of any unsafe interaction with Iran in the last two days.
The incident came amid reports of a near deal to resume the Iranian-US talks in Vienna which are meant to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. The talks have been on halt since June.
On January 12 of 2016, the IRGC naval forces captured two RCBs of the US Navy along with their ten sailors. The American sailors were released soon after.
The IRGC Navy keeps a close eye on US Navy movements in the Persian Gulf using speedboats, drones and several other means. Tehran warned the US and its allies against violating its sovereignty on several occasions this year.
