U.S. Navy commander attacks Iran for ‘offensive’ navy

A US Navy Commander has launched a scathing attack on Iran for its “offensive” and destabilising behaviour at sea.

Vice Admiral James Malloy, who is in charge of the US Fifth Fleet, admitted he did not always know if the country was being deliberately provocative or just produced bad sailors.

Speaking during a briefing to journalists, he expressed frustration at Iran’s activities in the Middle East, where it has repeatedly been accused of “harassing” the vessels of rival countries.

He also warned he was entirely prepared to take “defensive but decisive” action in response to such activities, and cited an incident in 2017 in which a US ship had fired warning shots over an Iranian ship.

“Their [Iran’s] activities at sea are inherently destabilising because of how they react to other ships at sea,” he said.

“If you come upon a ship of another nation there are certain things that you do to [reduce] risk; operate in such a way that is safe, anticipated.