WASHINGTON: Four of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vessels "harassed" a US warship on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz , a US defense official said, amid Washington's concerns about Iran's posture in the Gulf and in the Syrian civil war.The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that two of the Iranian vessels came within 300 yards of the USS Nitze in an incident that was "unsafe and unprofessional. It also fired 10 flares in the direction of two of the Iranian vessels. "For four decades the Revolutionary Guard have been told that America is the greatest threat to the Islamic Revolution," said Sadjadpour. "This institutional culture hasn't changed after the nuclear deal," he added.In January, 10 US sailors aboard two patrol craft were detained by the IRGC when they inadvertently entered Iranian territorial waters. They were released the next day after being held for about 15 hours.The Gulf separates Iran from its regional rival Saudi Arabia and a US naval base in Bahrain.

Source: Times of India August 25, 2016 03:48 UTC