US Warship Takes ‘Defensive Action,’ Reminds Iran They’re Nowhere Near the Big Leagues

Iran just got a huge wake-up call.

At a Thursday press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump told reporters that a U.S. Navy ship took down an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to NBC News.

The announcement marks another spark in the rising tensions over the vital shipping path used for much of the world’s oil.

Iran previously announced it had shot down a U.S. drone over its territory, but that claim was proved false.

Tensions hit a high-mark when Iranian boats placed explosives on U.S. ships near the strait, causing massive damage to the American vessels. 

The Iranians were caught on film removing some of the explosives after they failed to detonate.

The drone Trump referenced was “destroyed” after a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship, the USS Boxer, took “defensive action.”

Trump said the Iranian drone had “closed into very, very near distance approximately 1,000 yards” and had failed to respond to repeated “calls to stand down.”

The president added  that the drone was “threatening safety of the ship and the ship’s crew” so it was “immediately destroyed.”

“This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions against vessels operating in international waters,” Trump said. 

Trump forcefully stated that America “reserves the right to defend our personnel, our facilities, our interests, and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”

“I also call on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the Strait and to work with us in the future.”

“The downing of the drone was just the latest incident to be reported near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway off Iran’s coast which separates the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” NBC News reported.

“A third of the world’s seaborne oil shipments and 20 percent of oil traded worldwide pass out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait.” 

It’s not clear whether Iran will back down or continue to press its luck in the strait.

Hopefully, there will be a peaceful outcome and the strait will continue to be a safe passageway for the west of the world. The decision to shoot down the drone should send a clear message to Iran that United States is not going to concede the area.