US President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, April 22, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
President Donald Trump has once again made an anti-Iran threat, saying US Navy ships will shoot Iranian gunboats "out of the water" in the Persian Gulf.
"Thats in the rules of engagement. Thats a threat. When they get that close to our boat and they have guns, they have very substantial weapons on those boats, but well shoot them out of the water," the US president said on Wednesday.
The order was Trumps second reaction to last weeks confrontation between US warships and Iranian boats in the Persian Gulf.
Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps released a video on Sunday showing its Navy warning off a flotilla of US warships in the Persian Gulf as they try to approach the Iranian territorial waters.
An IRGC Navy officer was shown warning the US vessels to stop inspecting and detaining Iranian fishing or commercial ships in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
Trump claimed that such incidents happened frequently during Obamas presidency, saying that, "Under the Obama administration, it was taking place all the time. Under my administration, I gave this order early on and nothing happened. They were very nice. There was no problem."
On January 12, 2016, the IRGC detained 10 US sailors for trespassing on Irans territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.
Trumps made the claim as the IRGC shot down an intruding American spy drone in the countrys southern coastal province of Hormozgan last June after the aircraft violated Iranian airspace.
Iran has time and again said that its sovereignty and border security are its redline.
After the downing of the intruding US drone, Chief Commander of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Major General Hossein Salami has warned that any act of aggression against the countrys territory will be met with a firm response, stressing that the security of borders is a redline for the country.
The IRGC stressed Irans full readiness to safeguard the countrys territorial integrity and security, saying that US plots have been foiled through the power and solidity of the countrys Armed Forces as well as the Iranian nations resistance and resilience.
Trumps Wednesday threat came on the same say that the IRGC successfully launched and placed the countrys first military satellite into the orbit.
"The satellites successful launch enhanced new aspects of the Islamic Republics defensive might. By Gods grace, the Corps turned into a space force today," Major General Salami said.
SOURCE: PRESS TV
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/16241
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