Some, like National Security, have put forth the idea that Iran and Russia have already started World War 3. Such a scenario inevitably leads to the fears of confrontations leading to World War 3. will likely do major diplomatic calisthenics to stay out of a war with Iran, especially one that could very well escalate into a major war between major powers. Provoking the United States with Russia in support could be Iran's way of thumbing its nose at America, given that the U.S. Still, given Russia's moves to become a key player in the region, with its involvement in the Syrian civil war and its recent cozying up to Iran (the Hadaman-based air strikes into Syria notwithstanding), Iran's provocative naval maneuverings could be a sign not only of exerting "influence and authority" in the region but also a dangerous disregard for maintaining the peace. It is as yet unclear why Tehran did so, but they claimed Russia's usage for the bombing missions was a "betrayal of trust." It is also unclear the duration of the revocation might be. However, when Russia used the base to fly bombing missions into Syria to hit terrorist and/or rebel positions in that country's civil war (in which Iran has sided with the government forces of President Bashar al-Assad) in August, Iran revoked permission for Russian use of the base. Russia, as the New York Times noted in August, signed a deal with Iran to use its Hamadan air force base, the first time a foreign power has had access to a base of operations within Iran since World War II. Votel believes Iran is attempting to "exert their influence and authority in the region."Īt the same time, it must be noted that the relationship between Iran and Russia, though somewhat strained, has grown closer of late as well. That type of behavior is very concerning, and we hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner." "In recent days," he said, "we have witnessed even more provocative activity by the IRGC and Navy vessels. Central Command, admitted that Iranian conduct in the Persian Gulf was concerning. The harassing gunboats only backed off after the USS Nitze sent multiple visual and audio warnings. Navy official told CNN that the maneuver was deemed "unsafe and unprofessional." He said that two of the boats turned away, but only after approaching to within 300 yards of the Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer with a complement of 380 officers and crewmen, which was moving through international waters at the time. The USS Squall incident occurred just a day after four Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels engaged in a "high-speed intercept" of the USS Nitze near the Strait of Hormuz. She added that Iran's intentions regarding the incident were unknown. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau called the maneuverings actions that "unnecessarily escalate tensions" between the U.S. The same boat was reported to have harassed two other ships in the area as well. When it did not heed the first two entreaties, the Squall fired three shots into the water, a standard maritime warning, to further warn away the Iranian vessel. The Squall fired flares and spoke with the Iranians over the radio to warn the encroaching boat away from the area. In a previous report, CNN described the provocative actions of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard boat that came within 200 yards of the USS Squall on Wednesday, August 24. The Firebolt incident occurs less than two weeks after a couple of close encounters between U.S. Up from 23 in all of 2015, the total number for 2016 threatens to double last year's list of near-confrontations. The defense official told CNN that there had been 31 unsafe encounters with Iranian vessels in Gulf waters so far this year. Navy and officials in Washington is the growing number of close or harassing maneuverings by Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf. defense official noted that the maneuver was unsafe and unprofessional, an act that could have led to a collision. One fast-attack boat came within 100 yards of the ship, coming to a complete stop in front of the U.S. And the salient question is: What does Iran hope to gain from its high seas antics? Is Tehran eager to provoke a military response from the U.S.? Is Iran trying to start World War 3?ĬNN reported on September 7 that seven Iranian fast-attack gunboats swarmed around the USS Firebolt, a Cyclone-class naval coastal patrol boat with a complement of 30 sailors, while it navigated the Persian Gulf over the weekend. There is obvious concern among American military leaders over these close calls and not unintentional quasi-confrontations. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf by Iranian fast-attack boats has nearly half again the number of such actions in 2015. With the close maneuverings of seven Iranian gunboats around the USS Firebolt over the weekend, the number of provocative harassment episodes against U.S.
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