A US ship resorted to firing warning shots at three Iranian vessels from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy which came within 68 yards of the USS Firebolt, in the Persian Gulf.

Axar.az reports that three fast inshore attack craft from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy came within 68 yards of the USS Firebolt, a Navy patrol coast ship, and the Coast Guard cutter Baranoff on Monday night, CNN reported citing a statement from Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Rebarich said that the three Iranian ships kept operating close to the US vessels despite repeated bridge-to-bridge warnings and the use of loud-hailer devices. The USS Firebolt then resorted to firing warning shots, which prompted the Iranian vessels to back away to a safe distance.

"Throughout the interaction, US forces proactively communicated with the IRGCN vessels and executed pre-planned responses to reduce the risk of miscalculation, avoid a collision, and to de-escalate the situation," Rebarich said. According to CNN, this is the second time this month that Iranian ships have harassed US vessels in the Persian Gulf.