This video shows that an Iranian ship actually fired rockets near USS Harry S. Truman.
As reported by several media outlets on Dec. 26, 2015 an Iranian vessel approached aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and fired rockets in a direction away from the American flattop.
According to some U.S. Central Command officials, 20 minutes before the incident occurred, the Iranians announced over maritime radio that they would carry out a live-fire exercise.
Few days later Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ spokesperson Gen. Ramezan Sharif claimed that none of its ships fired rockets near the American flattop.
But, as reported by Marinecorpstimes.com, a video of the incident released on Jan. 9, 2016 by U.S. Navy officials to Military Times in response to a Freedom of Information Act request proves that Gen. Sharif statement was wrong.
In fact, as shown by the following Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) footage taken by a U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter operating from the U.S. aircraft carrier, an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast inshore attack craft (FIAC) fired several unguided rockets near the USS Harry S. Truman and other Western warships and commercial craft.
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Noteworthy this is not the first interaction between Iranian forces and the U.S. Navy, but while these “encounters” are usually professional, this last one was not, since the event was contrary to efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime safety in the global commons.
A claim confirmed by Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, who affirmed that even though the rockets traveled away from the carrier, firing weapons “so close to passing coalition ships and commercial traffic within an internationally recognized maritime traffic lane is unsafe, unprofessional and inconsistent with international maritime law.”
