Iran calls incident with U.S. naval ships "normal"

Source: Xinhua | 01-08-2008 09:52

TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Monday played down an incident between Iranian boats and U.S. naval ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, saying it was "something normal", the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran''s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini,seen in Tehran Feb. 12, 2007, on Monday played down an incident between Iranian boats and U.S. naval ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, saying it was "something normal".(Xinhua)

"It's something normal and takes place every now and then for each party, it has been resolved when the two parties identified each other," Hosseini was quoted as saying.

"The new case was similar to the past cases, it's regular and natural," he added.

Meanwhile, a Revolutionary Guards official also confirmed "there was no unusual confrontation between Iranian patrol boats and U.S. vessels" when he was interviewed by the state television.

He was quoted as saying that the Guards boats were patrolling in the Strait of Hormuz when they saw three U.S. ships there and "routinely asked the ships to identify themselves."

"They (the U.S. ships) did so and continued their path," the Guards official added.

The remarks of Iranian officials came as the U.S. Pentagon alleged on Monday that five Iranian revolutionary guard boats "seriously provoked" three U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

Pentagon officials told reporters that the Iranian boats made threatening moves and headed toward the U.S. ships early Sunday morning.

The Iranian boats also made threatening radio transmissions, which a U.S. official said included the taunt that "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes."

The U.S. warships manned gun positions and were prepared to shoot, but the Iranian boats suddenly turned away, the officials said.

According to the U.S. officials, the U.S. ships were in international waters at the time.

White House has immediately warned Iran to refrain from taking "provocative actions that could lead to a dangerous incident in the future," while the State Department said the United States "will confront Iranian behavior where it seeks to do harm either to us or our friends or allies in the region."

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, is a key route for international crude oil shipments.

Editor:Du Xiaodan