Tehran 0
22 April 2020

President Trump declared that he had “instructed the U.S. Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea”. Iranian IRGC Commander Hossein Salami subsequently announced that “we have ordered our naval units to target any vessel or combat unit of the terrorist U.S. forces who want to threaten the security of our non-combat ships or combat vessels”. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also summoned the Swiss ambassador, whose country represents U.S. interests in Iran, and gave him a letter in which “the U.S. administration has been reminded about the importance of observing international maritime safety regulations and shipping freedom”. 

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