Look Who it Was Random video

US Navy fires on boat in Persian Gulf

1,392 views · Published 17 August 2012 · 0:29 · Indexed 29 September 2026

Channel: News Direct · 2012 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

A US Navy supply ship fired on a small boat in the Persian Gulf on Monday that was heading toward it and ignored repeated warnings to stay away, Navy officials say, killing one person on board and injuring three. 

The USNS Rappahannock was about 10 miles from the Dubai port of Jebel Ali when what Navy officials say was a "small, white pleasure craft" approached. The Rappahannock sent several warnings to the boat, including messages sent by radio and loudspeaker, flashing lights, and warning shots. 

When the boat closed to within 1,200 yards, the Rappahannock opened fire with a .50-caliber machine gun. United Arab Emirates authorities say the boat was a fishing vessel and that the four casualties were Indian. Two other men from the United Arab Emirates were also on the boat. 

Tensions are running high in the Persian Gulf as Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic in response to tightened Western-led sanctions against its nuclear program. 

Some 20 percent of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is the only access point to the open ocean available to many major oil exporters including Iraq, Kuwait and the Gulf states.

More from this channel