President Trump says he has instructed the Pentagon to shoot down or sink any Iranian vessels that harass our ships in the international waters in the Persian Gulf. This comes after 11 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Navy vessels harassed US warships were conducting maneuvers in international waters, according to the Fifth Fleet. We have been conducting exercises there since March.
The Iranian vessels kept moving in front of and in back of our ships, creating a safety hazard. Not only to our ships but also to other ships in the international waters. Our ships kept messaging the Iranians who ignored us for an hour before moving away from our fleet. This comes right after they stopped an oil tanker that they quickly abandoned once they determined it was a Chinese tanker.
President Trump has decided to take decisive action against the Iranians. I wonder how long before the Democrats take Iran’s side against us. By the end of today, I would imagine. We cannot allow any small despotic country to think they can harass us at will. Trump has the right idea for America.
The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, Marines and Army have been conducting joint interoperability operations in the Gulf since March.
The president’s directive also comes several months after hostilities between the U.S. and Iran which included an attack at the U.S. Embassy compound in Iraq that U.S. officials blamed on Iran.
In response, the U.S. carried out a strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Also, earlier this month, the president sent a stark warning to Iran, after claiming that Iran was planning a “sneak attack” on U.S. troops in Iraq.
“Upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!” Trump tweeted.
Sources told Fox News earlier this month that the U.S. believes Iranian-backed proxies were planning the sneak attack, and that Trump’s tweet was a warning to the Iranian leadership to tell their proxies to back down or face consequences.