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| Iran boats 'threatened US ships' | Iran boats 'threatened US ships' |
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| Five Iranian speedboats harassed three US navy ships at the weekend, approaching them and radioing a threat to blow them up, US officials say. | Five Iranian speedboats harassed three US navy ships at the weekend, approaching them and radioing a threat to blow them up, US officials say. |
| The incident happened as the US vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, which separates the Arabian peninsula and Iran, Pentagon officials said. | |
| US sailors came close to opening fire, unnamed officials told CNN. | US sailors came close to opening fire, unnamed officials told CNN. |
| "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," an Iranian radio transmission said, CNN reported. | "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," an Iranian radio transmission said, CNN reported. |
| The speedboats came within about 200m of the US vessels, a Pentagon official told the French news agency AFP. | |
| The Iranian craft turned away "literally at the very moment that US forces were preparing to open fire", the Associated Press reported, also citing an unnamed Pentagon official. | |
| The incident took place between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, reports said, although no exact time was given. | |
| Some officials identified the Iranian boats as belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. | |
| It comes amid high US-Iranian tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and as US President George Bush was due to begin a tour of the Middle East on Wednesday. |