U.S. President Bush today warned Iran against attacking U.S. vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“There will be serious consequences if they attack our ships, pure and simple,” Bush said during a news conference in Jerusalem. “And my advice to them is, don’t do it.”
Bush was referring to an incident in which five high-speed Iranian boats reportedly threatened to attack the USS Port Royal, USS Hopper and USS Ingraham as they were entering the Persian Gulf on Jan. 6.
Defense officials said the Iranian boats maneuvered aggressively, threatened the U.S. ships via radio and dropped objects into the water in the path of one of the ships.
The U.S. president said “our ships were moving along very peacefully off the Iranian border in territorial water — international waters — and Iranian boats came out and were very provocative. And it was a dangerous gesture on their part.”
Bush said that earlier in the day, Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, made it “abundantly clear that all options are on the table to protect our assets.”
