24 April
The head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says he has ordered his forces to target US warships if they threaten the security of Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.
Major General Hossein Salami made the comment in an interview with Iranian state-run media on Thursday.
He said he ordered his naval units to destroy any American "terrorist force" that threatens Iranian military or non-military ships.
Salami was reacting to a warning from US President Donald Trump, who tweeted on Wednesday that he had instructed the US Navy to attack and destroy any Iranian gunboats that harass US ships.
The tweet prompted Iran's Foreign Ministry to summon the Swiss ambassador in Tehran on Thursday to lodge a protest. The Swiss mission represents US interests in Iran.
The latest flare-up in tensions came when US forces disclosed last week that 11 vessels from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy came dangerously close to US Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf.
NHK
