May 19, 2020
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy on Tuesday issued a warning to mariners to stay 100 meters (yards) away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”
Reuters is first to report the new warning, issued in detail in a notice to mariners. It follows a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump last month, in which he instructed the U.S. Navy to fire on any Iranian ships that harass American vessels.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the new notice to mariners was not a change in the U.S. military’s rules of engagement.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler)
