The Cyclone class coastal patrol ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) transits along other PCs during an exercise in the Arabian Gulf. (File photo by US Navy)DUBAI - A US Navy patrol boat fired warning shots Tuesday near an Iranian vessel that came close to it during a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf, an American defence official said. Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard later blamed the American ship for provoking the incident. The Thunderbolt was taking part in an exercise with American and other coalition vessels when the Iranian patrol boat approached it, the official said. The Iranian boat went "dead in the water" after the shots and the vessels all left the area without further incident, the official said.

Source: Bangkok Post July 25, 2017 16:30 UTC