Iranian forces in a fast-attack boat had their guns pointed right at a U.S. destroyer as it sped directly towards the ship, in a dangerous encounter in January, a U.S. Navy captain said.
Fearing collision, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Marc Davis was eventually forced to fire three warning shots from the ship’s .50 caliber guns, he said in a recent one-on-one interview with Breitbart News, where he shared new details about the incident.
The contact began early Sunday morning on January 8 when one of four Iranian boats harassing the Mahan began speeding straight towards the destroyer and its 330 sailors onboard, forcing a series of attempts to get it to stop.
"On that day, we were transiting into the Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz," Davis recalled, referring to the narrow waterway, which is in international waters, but which Iran considers its territory.
The interaction with the Iranian vessels started very late the night before on Saturday, and occurred all evening and early morning. There were six interactions -- all what he would deem in Navy terms "safe and professional."
He said, "it was finally sunrise, so it was early in the morning the following day" when the last interaction occurred. |