A U.S. Navy warship has fired a warning flare at an Iranian speedboat during a tense encounter in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a video of the incident, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ship can be seen advancing on the USS Sirocco, sounding its horn repeatedly.
The ship, called the Boghammar Guard, turns around as it approaches before a flare can be heard, but it is not seen.
The United States Navy said the Boghammar was 50 meters from the Sirocco, increasing the risk of ships colliding with each other on the important waterway.
“Guard actions did not meet international standards for professional or safe maritime conduct, increasing the risk of miscalculation and collision,” the U.S. Navy said.
Iran did not immediately recognize the meeting, which lasted about an hour and also featured two other Iranian ships.
The incident comes as tensions remain high over stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and as the country gets more uranium enriched, bringing its supply closer to gun-grade levels.
A similar event also occurred in March, when three Guardsmen had a tense encounter with U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels as they traveled across the strait.
The Navy claimed that Iranian Guard Shahid Nazeri’s catamaran was 25 meters from USCGC Robert Goldman, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to issue multiple radio warnings and deploy flares.
Image: The ship passed in front of the American warship very close by
It came just as an agreement between Iran and world powers for the restoration of the nuclear deal seemed possible, before talks broke down.
In 2015, the two sides agreed on a nuclear deal, which saw Iran drastically limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the elimination of economic sanctions.
Three years later, Donald Trump, then president of the United States, unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal, raising tensions across the Middle East and provoking a series of attacks and incidents.
Talks in Vienna on reactivating the agreement have been “paused” since March.