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.
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.
