What could go wrong??? Wag the dog...

Trump says he told Navy to 'destroy' Iranian boats harassing U.S. ships

The president issued his directions via tweet.

By LARA SELIGMAN

President Donald Trump abruptly tweeted early today that he has directed the Navy to fire upon Iranian "gunboats" that "harass" U.S. ships at sea in a new sign of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

"I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea," Trump tweeted.

A Navy spokesperson referred questions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and U.S. Central Command, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Directing the Navy to fire upon Iranian vessels that "harass" U.S. ships would be a significant change to commanders' rules of engagement in the theater, one former defense official said. Commanders can respond only to a direct threat, for instance, if a vessel fires at a U.S. ship.

"The U.S. Navy has clear rules of engagement issued by the chain of command and reviewed to ensure they are consistent with all applicable laws of the sea and armed conflict," said Michael Mulroy, who served as the Pentagon's Middle East policy chief until December. "Any Iranian actions that directly threatens our naval vessels and their crew will be dealt with based on those rules of engagement."

Mulroy added that the United States has not defined harassment as a "direct threat." Otherwise, "we would be shooting at a lot of Russian planes," he noted, referring to regular incidents of Russian jets buzzing U.S. aircraft.

Former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the tweet itself likely does not change the rules of engagement because the Pentagon requires formal orders rather than "orders from Tweets." He posited that the president is "trying to distract from Covid-19."

Trump's tweet comes one week after the Navy announced that 11 Iranian vessels had conducted "dangerous and harassing" approaches of U.S. ships in the international waters of the northern Persian Gulf, coming as close as 10 yards to a Coast Guard cutter.

"The IRGCN's dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, were not in accordance," with international regulations, the Navy said at the time. The statement referred the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy.

The incident was the first provocative exchange between the two nations since early March, when U.S. and coalition aircraft struck Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group locations in Iraq in retaliation for the deaths of two U.S. troops in a rocket attack a day earlier.