Iranian boats 'threatened' US ships

The White House issued a warning to Tehran after Iranian speedboats buzzed three US navy ships and threatened to blow them up.

The US forces were "literally" on the verge of firing on the Iranian boats as they passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and had moved to operate their guns when the Iranians turned and sped away. No shots were fired in the incident yesterday morning in one of the world's key shipping routes for crude oil. Details of the incident remain unclear, but the skipper of one of the five Iranians speedboats said in a radio transmission: "I’m coming at you and you will blow up in a couple of minutes." News of the stand-off emerged as President Bush prepares to leave tomorrow on a trip to the Middle East in which he is expected to tackle Iran's growing regional influence. The incident occurred about 5am local time on Sunday as a US Navy cruiser, destroyer and frigate were crossing the strait on their way into the Gulf when they were buzzed by the speedboats, which dropped boxes in the water in front of them.
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