A report published by the French newspaper Liberation says that the constant harassment and mutual accusations between the US Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Gulf serve as a measure of the extent of tension in this sensitive region.

The newspaper's correspondent, Pierre Alonso, refers in his report to the incident that occurred on April 15 in the northern Gulf, when Iranian speedboats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards dangerously approached American ships sailing in the region, according to the US Navy.

He says that Washington immediately condemned the "dangerous" behavior, which it described as "harassment," and published a list of "previous provocations." The Fifth Fleet of the US Navy - based in Bahrain and responsible for operations in the region - in a rare incident published photos and videos of the incident.

The newspaper quotes a French officer expert in the region saying that the Iranian boats were very close to the American ships and meandering without paying attention to the sound warnings, indicating that this type of incidents between the Revolutionary Guard and the Western naval forces is not strange in these strategic waters with high security, adding that " Nothing strikes me about these pictures, and I don't see anything different from what usually happens. "

A provocation
The newspaper’s correspondent - who accompanied the French frigate "Corby" in one of these "frictions" - says that when their ship crossed the Strait of Hormuz at night, five stars appeared on the radar, which were Iranian boats, and that they headed directly towards them at a speed of about 80 kilometers per hour. .

He added that the blue stars continued speeding towards them without regard to the sound warnings on the radio and the trumpets until they turned red, which means that the Revolutionary Guard boats reached the critical distance of the Navy (1850 meters), then approached them to a distance of 500 meters, before finally stopping and leaving the French warship Continue its course in the Gulf.

He explains that the French crew expected such incidents and raised the level of preparedness before crossing the strait, but the darkness made the maneuver more complicated, and he confirmed that the naval force of the Revolutionary Guard had become more aggressive towards American ships after the assassination of the head of foreign operations of the Iranian Guard, Major General Qassem Soleimani, in early January. In Baghdad.

They do not frighten anyone,
and the reporter says that the Revolutionary Guards met them with this behavior, although France is not the most targeted for several reasons, including that Paris did not favor the "maximum pressure" policy implemented by the administration of US President Donald Trump against Iran.

According to an officer in the Royal Navy, the passage of British ships is usually more noisy, as boats approach and stay longer, behave more dangerously, and appear more threatening.

The French officer says that sending the Iranians these boats is a means of pressure, asserting presence and showing control of the region, but they do not scare anyone, as if they wanted to do something they would take refuge with fifty or a hundred boats, adding that they had no chance against the French with four or five boats, nor against Americans who have dozens of times more means.

The reporter concluded that the United States and Iran do not want either of them to be seen as the aggressor, and added that they are trying to gain the support of the international community in the context of their conflict, especially after eight European countries launched a process of "maritime surveillance and security" in the Strait of Hormuz, which allows the Europeans to know What is going on there independently.