Speedboats of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are seen during major drills in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf code-named the Great Prophet 9 on February 25, 2015.
Saudi Arabia announced late on June 27 that its Border Guard had intercepted three Iranian boats, which had violated its exclusive economic zone.
“At 18:30 on Thursday 4/11/1441 AH, maritime border guard patrols monitored three Iranian boats after entering Saudi waters, they were immediately chased and repeated warnings were issued to them to stop, but they refused to respond. According to the procedures followed in the cases when [boats] refuse to stop, the boats were dealt with by firing warning shots, which resulted in them being forced to retreat,” a spokesman for the General Directorate of Border Guard (GDBG) told the Saudi Press Agency.
The spokesman also stressed that the GDBG would not allow any side to violate Saudi waters, in what appears to be a warning to Iran.
Iran is yet to respond to the Saudi accusations. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy is known for being highly active in the Persian Gulf.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy accused the IRGC Navy of harassing its vessels in the Persian Gulf. Back then, the IRGC said that it had recently increased its maritime patrols in the Persian Gulf “to prevent the continued illegal, unprofessional, dangerous, and even adventurous behavior” of the U.S. Navy.
The new incident is a direct reflection of the ever growing tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is committed to Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
According to the UN Article 58, Rights and duties of other States in the exclusive economic zone other states have freedom of navigation in an exclusive economic zone but not rights to exploit resources below the surface of the water:
In the exclusive economic zone, all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy, subject to the relevant provisions of this Convention, the freedoms referred to in article 87 of navigation and overflight and of the laying of submarine cables and pipelines, and other internationally lawful uses of the sea related to these freedoms, such as those associated with the operation of ships, aircraft and submarine cables and pipelines, and compatible with the other provisions of this Convention.
A pity this article doesn’t clearly distinguish between these…
Territorial and Economic zones are very much different. In Venezuela last week Washington was sailing their Destroyer in Venezuela’s Economic one, It appears Iran has done the same to the KSA.
“According to the procedures followed in the cases when [boats] refuse to stop, the boats were dealt with by firing warning shots, ”
This Saudi statement can be translated as ‘ The saudis missed ‘. :)
Or Saudis are affraid as hell.
So is this some sort of Saudi joke? Iranians must be laughing on this.
real? or fake news?
Did they Iranian boat captains drop their Iranian passports in the area by mistake ?
This news falls under the dubious fake news category. The Saudis have their hands full taking a beating at the hands of the Yemenis, a fight with Iran is the last thing they need, even if their ultimate agenda is to bring in their US protectors. US will not fight for the Saudis as it main obsession is with China these days.