The Iranian Navy said in an announcement on Thursday that a suspicious boat with 12 armed people on board was nearing an Iranian trade ship in Bab al-Mandab when Iran’s Jamaran destroyer stepped in and forced it back, according to IRNA's release.
This is the third time in a month that the 83rd fleet of the Iranian Navy clashes with suspicious boats in the Red Sea.
The incident comes after the Pentagon said on Tuesday that an Iranian ship seized an American military unmanned research vessel in the Gulf but released it after a US Navy patrol boat and helicopter were deployed to the location.
On August 10, a senior Iranian navy commander said the same naval flotilla thwarted an overnight attack on another vessel belonging to the Islamic republic.
Rear Admiral Mustafa Tajeddini said at the time that, following a help request by an Iranian ship in the Red Sea, the flotilla was dispatched to the scene and engaged fire with the attacking boats.