U.S. officials told CBS News on Wednesday that an Iranian warship had shined a spotlight and laser at an American military helicopter accompanying two U.S. Navy vessels sailing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz during the night. Military sources told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin that the incident was considered by the U.S. Navy to have been “unsafe and unprofessional.” While Iranian military vessels do occasionally test the patience of U.S.
warships in and near the Strait of Hormuz — a vital international waterway through which nearly a third of all global oil shipments sail — this incident was unusual because the Iranian ship involved was part of the regular Iranian navy, not the elite Revolutionary Guard. The two U.S. ships involved were the USS Cole destroyer and the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, a vessel designed to carry and deploy smaller vessels and helicopters. READ MORE
