The U.S. military said Iranian vessels made "dangerous and harassing" maneuvers near American warships in the Persian Gulf this week.
According to a statement from the Navy, 11 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels approached the U.S. ships Wednesday as they were conducting exercises with Army helicopters.
The Navy said the Iranian vessels crossed the bows and sterns of the American ships multiple times at extremely close range and high speeds. The U.S. crews repeatedly issued warnings over the radio, ships' horns and and long-range acoustic noise-maker devices, but they didn't get a response. The Iranian vessels left after about an hour.
The incident came after weeks of relative silence among the U.S. and Iran. Tensions between the two countries skyrocketed earlier this year after an American airstrike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian officials didn't immediately acknowledge Wednesday's events.
