IRGC speedboats, UUVs ready to target US warships: Iran judiciary chief

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i has said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is prepared to target US naval vessels with speedboats and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

“The IRGC’s swarm fleet, with its fast boats and UUVs, is waiting inside sea caves off Iran’s southern Farur Island for intruding American warships, to overwhelm their defences and inflict severe consequences on the aggressors,” Mohseni-Eje’i said on Thursday, according to News.Az, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

He added that US forces “do not even dare approach” the Strait of Hormuz, pointing to what he described as recent encounters involving the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Peterson.

Mohseni-Eje’i also said three vessels in the strategic waterway had been subjected to legal action for alleged violations.

Press TV reported last week that the IRGC Navy had locked more than a dozen cruise missiles onto US warships before they withdrew. According to the report, 16 missiles were targeted at the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Peterson after the ships failed to heed initial warnings from Iranian naval forces.

The broadcaster said the US vessels were warned to leave the Strait of Hormuz within minutes or face attack. It added that US personnel requested a 15-minute delay to relay the situation to their command and receive further instructions.

The standoff lasted less than an hour and ended with the US destroyers leaving the area, according to Press TV, which attributed the outcome to restraint by Iranian forces.

Iranian media also reported on Wednesday that at least three ships had been seized in the Strait of Hormuz for allegedly violating passage regulations.

News.Az