Trump says he ordered Navy to “destroy” any Iranian gunboats if they harass US ships

Photo by Tia Dufour

Trump said on Wednesday that he was ordered the U.S. navy to “destroy” any Iranian vessels that “harass” U.S. ships at sea.

I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.

I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020

Details of further information are unclear at the moment. No other information was given by the president or the White House.

Trump didn’t give a specific incident that caused him to order this. However, it comes a week after 11 ships associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy “repeatedly conducted dangerous and harassing approaches” of U.S. ships in the North Arabian Gulf.

When asked during a briefing about the tweet he said, “We don’t want their gunboats surrounding our boats and traveling around our boats and having a good time. We don’t want them anywhere near our boats.”

“So if they do that, that’s putting our ships in danger and our great crews and sailors in danger. I’m not going to let that happen, and we will — they’ll shoot them out of the water.”