Boats of Iranian Revolutionary Guards sail April 15 around US military ships in the Persian Gulf near Kuwait. - US NAVY / AP / SIPA

"I have ordered the US Navy to shoot down and destroy any Iranian craft that harasses our ships at sea." This is the ad bluntly tweeted by Donald Trump on his favorite social network.

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

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020

The President of the United States thus follows the upswings of American forces present in the Gulf, near Kuwait. A week ago, the Pentagon accused Tehran of "dangerous maneuvers" at sea.

According to Washington, with the photo in support, eleven speedboats from the Revolutionary Guards repeatedly approached the bow and stern of American ships, "from an extremely close range and at high speed".

#ICYMI: Iranian #IRGCN vessels with weapons manned harassed #USSLewisBPuller (ESB 3) while operating in international waters in the North Arabian Gulf. US crews took actions deemed appropriate to avoid a collision.

Learn more about the # USNavy's ESB: https://t.co/nhstyAIAOW pic.twitter.com/NBv13TRCSG

- US Navy (@USNavy) April 16, 2020

Iranian officials did not immediately recognize the facts, before indicating that it was too "Hollywood" given by the United States. Tehran accused the US Navy of having illustrated itself by its "unprofessional behavior" in the Persian Gulf and of "preventing the passage" in early April of the Shahid Siavoshi , an Iranian ship.

Increased tensions

This new declaration is symbolic of the persistent, and increasingly intense, tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic since May 2018 and the unilateral denunciation of the international agreement on Iranian nuclear power.

The elimination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in an American drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, has only amplified them.

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