Trump to US Navy: Destroy Iranian gunboats harassing our ships [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday, saying he had instructed the US Navy to “shoot down and destroy” Iranian gunboats that will be harassing US ships.
• Trump’s tweet came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched its first military satellite which experts described as a secret military space program that could boost the country’s ballistic missile capability.
• Both the Guard and the Navy warships have tense encounters in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

In a tweet on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he gave a go signal to the United States Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian gunboats that would be harassing their 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,” the president tweeted.

The White House had no immediate comment on the tweet and the president did not give further details about it. Pentagon also had no immediate response when the US Navy’s 5^th Fleet based in Bahrain asked for clarifications.

The president’s tweet came after the Revolutionary Guard of Iran said on Wednesday that it had launched its first military satellite. Experts have described it as a secret military space program which came in light of the rising tensions between the US and Iran.

The launch quickly raised concerns among experts if Iran could develop intercontinental ballistic missiles with the new technology.

The Revolutionary Guard admitted on Sunday that it had a tense encounter with US Navy warships last week in the Persian Gulf, though it did not give evidence that the American troops triggered the incident.

Both US and Iranian ships have tense encounters in the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz, which 20% of global oil passes through.

Source: AOL.com