(Wall Street Journal) Gordon Lubold and Nancy A. Youssef - For at least two years, armed Iranian "fast boats" would dart toward U.S. vessels as they passed through the Persian Gulf, risking miscalculation, but haven't done so since August 2017, U.S. military officials said. "I hope it's because we have messaged our readiness...and that it isn't tolerable," said Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who heads U.S. Central Command. The Iranian boats are typically crewed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said that in an internal directive last summer, Iran's Supreme National Security Council ordered the IRGC to stand its ground in the region, but not to harass U.S. Navy ships.
2018-01-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive