Washington
(CNN): President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that he has instructed the
US Navy to "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats" that
harass US ships.
"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 wrote.
Later on
Wednesday senior Pentagon officials said the tweet was a lawful order though it
did not mark a change in the rules of engagement.
"The
President issued an important warning to the Iranians. What he was emphasizing
is all of our ships retain the right of self-defense and people need to be very
careful in their interactions to understand the inherent right of
self-defense," Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist told reporters at
the Pentagon.
Gen. John
Hyten, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military will
"apply that clear direction from the commander in chief into lawful
orders" adding that is clear to Iran that there is a line they cannot
cross that would provoke a response.
"We
don't need any more direction in order to do that. I think the President's
message was crystal clear and we don't need any more actions," he added.
The tweet is
the latest provocative threat Trump has levied against Tehran amid scrutiny of
his handling of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and raises fears about
the possibility of a miscalculation between the two longtime foes.
Tensions
sharply escalated in January when the US killed Iran's second most powerful
official, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and earlier this month, Trump, without
citing any evidence, claimed that his administration had information that
"Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on US troops and/or
assets in Iraq." He warned of a "heavy price" to pay if such
acts were carried out.
Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo also commented on the tweet in a briefing at the State
Department, saying the President has been clear to the State and Defense
Departments "to do everything we need to do to make sure that we protect
and defend our officers, our military officers, our diplomats around the world,
to continue to ensure that they are secure and safe."
CNN has
reached out to the Pentagon and White House for additional comment.
Last week,
the US Navy released video that it says shows Iranian naval vessels
repeatedly conducting "dangerous and harassing approaches" toward US
Navy warships in the North Arabian Sea and claimed that one Iranian vessel came
within 10 yards of colliding with a US ship.
The video of
the incident appears to show multiple Iranian-flagged vessels, with men manning
guns at the front of those ships, passing in front of a US naval vessel. The
guns do not appear to be pointed at the ship, which sounded a horn multiple
times as the Iranian vessels approached.
On Sunday,
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps acknowledged that an incident took place,
but dismissed the US version of events as a "fake Hollywood tale," in
a statement published by the Iranian News Agency.
Roughly a
half hour before Trump tweeted Wednesday, "Fox & Friends," which
Trump regularly watches, aired a segment about the incident, as well as a
report on Iran launching its first military satellite into orbit. Iran's
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the launch was successful, though CNN
has not been able to independently verify that.
Trump's has
not been shy to tweet about major military decisions. In 2017, he tweeted a
directive to place a ban on transgender service members. The announcement
blindsided military officials and led Gen. Joseph Dunford, then the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to inform service members that there would be no
immediate modifications to current policy. After a review and several legal
challenges, the ban went into effect last year.
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