The carrier group sent to the Persian Gulf to intimidate and irritate Iran apparently struck a nerve. The U.S. Navy says that five suspected Iranian ships came within “close proximity” of one of a group of three American vessels. The ships turned around and no shots were fired, according to a Navy official and news reports.

Iranian officials have yet to confirm or deny the incident, which happened over the weekend.

On Monday night, unrelated to the incident involving the ships, two $57-million Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets crashed in the gulf.


Los Angeles Times:

A U.S. Navy official in Bahrain today confirmed the broad outlines of a weekend confrontation between U.S. and Iranian warships in the Persian Gulf.

Citing unnamed military officials in Washington, CNN, NBC and other news outlets reported today that one of five Iranian ships came within 200 yards of a group of three U.S. naval vessels Saturday night in international waters within the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which much of the gulf’s oil reaches the world.

Read more

CNN:

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets — flying off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman — crashed Monday night in the Persian Gulf, U.S. Navy officials said.

The aircrafts’ three aviators were recovered safely after they ejected from the jets — a single-seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F.

Read more

WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...

This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.

At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.

Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.

Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.

Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.

Donate now.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG