On Tuesday, Pentagon officials claimed that the Coast Guard patrol vessel Monomoy fired the warning shot after a machine gun on the Iranian fishing boat was aimed at the US forces. Apparently one warning shot was fired and that did the trick, the small boat sped away.
[GARD align=”left”] U.S. military officials said the trouble started when the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy, which regularly patrols international waters in the Gulf, approached an Iranian dhow, a traditional sailing vessel used by fisherman and traders. According to the U.S. account, the cutter dispatched a smaller boat with some folks on board, apparently to try to get closer to the dhow and possibly climb aboard. The dhow was less than friendly, however; its crew pointed a machine gun at the visiting party. In response, the Monomoy fired a warning shot, which apparently had its desired effect. The dhow sailed off, the cutter retrieved its personnel from the small boat and went its own way.
