Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval ships fired missiles within 4,500 feet of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the U.S. military said Wednesday. Iran announced the live-fire exercise only 23 minutes before firing "several unguided rockets" near the U.S. aircraft carrier, the destroyer USS Buckley, and the French frigate FS Provence, as well as commercial sea vessels, said Cmdr. Kyle Raines, U.S. Central Command spokesman.
The Iranian rockets were not aimed at any of the ships in the area, but Iran's "actions were highly provocative," Raines said. "Firing weapons so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic within an internationally recognized maritime traffic lane is unsafe, unprofessional, and inconsistent with international maritime law." The narrow Strait of Hormuz, bordered by Iran and Oman, connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean and is a key route for oil shipping, as well as a military corridor for U.S. and allied ships. The USS Harry S. Truman is now in the Gulf, launching aircraft to bomb the Islamic State.
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