US Coast Guard ship fired around 30 warning shots at Iranian fast boats in latest tense encounter

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) — A US Coast Guard ship fired approximately 30 warning shots as a "large group" of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast boats conducted "unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers" near US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Six US Navy vessels were escorting a guided missile submarine, the USS Georgia, when they encountered a group of 13 IRGCN "fast attack boats," Kirby told reporters. The boats approached the US Navy vessels "at high speed," coming as close as within 150 yards.

After the US tried "all the appropriate and established procedures involving hip blasts, bridge to bridge radio transmission and other ways of communicating," US Coast Guard Cutter Maui fired approximately 30 warning shots, Kirby said. Following the second round of warning shots, the IRGCN fast boats "broke contact."

The episode follows a string of recent incidents between Iranian boats and US warships. Last month, Iran's Navy came within 68 yards of US ships operating in the Persian Gulf. And earlier in April, four IRGC ships, including three fast attack craft and a support vessel, came within 70 yards of two Coast Guard cutters.

-snip-

By Barbara Starr, Ellie Kaufman and Paul LeBlanc, CNN
Updated 2054 GMT (0454 HKT) May 10, 2021


Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/10/politics/us-navy-warning-shots-iranian-fast-boats-strait-of-hormuz/index.html

[abqtommy]

1. I hate to see this type of problem here. Since the Strait Of Hormuz is bordered by Iran to

the north and Saudi Arabia to the south it's easy to see why both countries consider the
Strait to be theirs. But unless they've invited the U.S. to be there what are we doing?

dimensions of The Strait Of Hormuz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz

dimensions of territorial waters, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_waters

[Eko]

4. International Law of Straits

International Law of Straits

a. Legal Rights of Passage

As the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz is twenty-one nautical miles, all vessels passing through the Strait must traverse the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The rights of passage for foreign vessels under international law will consequently be subject to either the rules of non-suspendable innocent passage or transit passage depending on the applicable legal regime, as discussed below.

The legal regime of passage through straits was first addressed in the landmark Corfu Channel case, which also happened to be the first case brought before the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”). The ICJ confirmed the customary international law rule, used in international navigation, that foreign warships have the right of innocent passage in straits during peacetime.[4] This rule of non-suspendable innocent passage for all vessels was subsequently codified in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone (“1958 Geneva Convention”).[5] Essentially, this meant that during peacetime the coastal state could only prohibit the passage of any foreign-flagged vessel if its passage was non-innocent.
https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/16/issue/16/transit-passage-rights-strait-hormuz-and-iran%E2%80%99s-threats-block-passage

[abqtommy]

5. Thanks for helping out with my daily DU education!

[Eko]

7. Thank you.

I saw your point and looked into it. So I got some daily DU education as well.

[ripcord]

11. Bahrain is a U.S. ally and there is a USCG base there

Using the international waters of the Straight of Hormuz is necessary to access it.

[Mysterian]

2. WTF is the Coast Guard doing in the Strait of Hormuz?

That's some absurd stuff.

[canuckledragger]

3. ... trying to start a war...

...maybe?

[oldsoftie]

10. Because THEY were the ones sailing recklessly?

No, it was the Iranians

[stevil]

6. That's what I was wondering.

The Coast Guard can operate internationally under direction of the US Navy. Still sounds weird to me.

[diverdownjt]

9. How far from our coastline....

BS

[rickford66]

15. The Coast Guard operates all over the world.

They operate our ice breakers in the Arctic and Antarctic.

[hack89]

18. The Coast Guard has operated all over the world

As they are just as much a law enforcement agency as they are a military organization, they are very well suited to help enforce UN sanctions in the Middle East.

[ripcord]

8. The Maui operates out of Bahrain

It was brought in specifically to deal with Iranian fast attack boats and was escorting a submarine through international waters.

[hack89]

12. They have had ships in the Gulf for nearly 20 years

They provide security to US naval bases in addition to enforcing international sanctions against Iran.

[rpannier]

13. We have a Coast Guard Base in Bahrain

[McKim]

16. Yeah!

Yeah! What are they doing in OUR straight?????

[James48]

17. We have Coast Guard all over.

In wartime, they serve under the Defense Department, and in peacetime they serve under the Department of Homeland Security. They were under the Transportation Department before Homeland Security Department existed. In WWII, they did patrols and port activity world wide. Now they help show the flag at a potential combat level far less than the US Navy, yet still carrying the USA banner. It’s a good thing to have that kind of choice.

[EX500rider]

20. "What are they doing in OUR straight?????"

Iran does not own the straight...it is open to international shipping traffic. That includes Navy and Coast Guard ships.

[artemisia1]

21. Former member here. The USCG operates in international waters both in support of its

missions of defense as well as its function in enforcing international maritime law.

The Coast Guard is the lead federal maritime law enforcement agency and the only agency with both the authority and capability to enforce national and international law on the high seas, outer continental shelf, and inward from the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to inland waters.

from: https://www.mycg.uscg.mil/Missions/maritime_law/#:~:text=The%20Coast%20Guard%20is%20the,(EEZ)%20to%20inland%20waters.

[hay rick]

14. Informative thread. nt

[Mosby]

19. Yeah.