US says Iran attempted to capture unmanned ship in Persian Gulf
WASHINGTON (AA) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to seize an unmanned naval vessel operating in the Persian Gulf, the US military said Tuesday.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, said the “professionalism and competence” of the crew of the USS Thunderbolt, a naval patrol ship, “prevented Iran from this illegal action.”
“This incident once again demonstrates Iran’s continued destabilizing, illegal, and unprofessional activity in the Middle East,” said Kurilla.
The Navy separately said that an IRGC support ship attempted to capture “an unmanned surface vessel” operated by the US Fifth Fleet between Monday and Tuesday.
The incident began around 11 p.m. local time when the Navy detected the support ship Shahid Bazia towing a Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel with the intent of detaining it. The Thunderbolt “immediately responded,” and the Fifth Fleet launched an MH-60S Sea Hawk from Bahrain to support the patrol ship.
The Saildrone Explorer is a commercially-available wind and solar powered vessel capable of collecting data via a series of sensors, cameras and radars.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
