On Monday, the United States Navy announced that its sailors, along with the United Kingdom Royal Navy, provided assistance to a ship in the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz after it was reportedly “harassed” by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

According to a statement from the U.S. Navy, three fast-attack vessels belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, carrying armed personnel, approached the merchant ship at close proximity on Sunday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.

The Navy shared black-and-white images, obtained from a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft that was monitoring the situation, showing the three small ships in close proximity to the commercial vessel.

In response to the incident, the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul and the Royal Navy’s frigate HMS Lancaster intervened. The Lancaster deployed a helicopter to the scene.

Approximately an hour later, the situation deescalated when the merchant vessel confirmed that the fast-attack craft had left the area, as stated by the Navy.

The merchant ship continued its transit through the Strait of Hormuz without encountering any further incidents.

Written by staff