The United States military has condemned Iran after three IRGC patrol boats harassed two American naval vessels during a transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, calling the actions “unsafe and unprofessional.”

The incident involved the Cyclone-class patrol ship USS Sirocco and Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Choctaw County, where three IRGC patrol craft “buzzed” the vessels at “dangerously high speed,” in which the USS Sirocco deployed a warning flare. A spokesman for the United States Navy stated that the vessels “did not meet the international standards of professional or safe maritime behavior, increasing the risk of miscalculation and collision.”

This happened yesterday! A pair of #IRGC Navy fast boats harassed #US Navy vessels in #HormuzStrait. These boats harassed a patrol coastal ship, USS Sirocco (PC 6) and an expeditionary fast transport ship, USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2). (Credit: #USNavy) pic.twitter.com/JdQi6Z6pdD

— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) June 21, 2022

“One of the IRGCN vessels approached Sirocco head-on at a dangerously high speed and only altered course after the U.S. patrol coastal ship issued audible warning signals to avoid a collision. The Iranian vessel also came within 50 yards of the U.S. Navy ship during the interaction, and Sirocco responded by deploying a warning flare,” the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command stated in a release.

“The full interaction among all vessels lasted one hour and ended when the IRGCN craft departed the area. U.S. Navy ships continued their transit without further incident.”