"No one is more concerned about security and stability in the Persian Gulf than regional countries,” emphasized Ramin Mehmanparast, adding that under the present sensitive circumstances “the presence of foreign forces is provocative and [perceived as a] threat.”
“We advise regional countries to question the need for foreign military presence with closer and increased cooperation and we advise the countries with military presence [in the Persian Gulf] to be sensible and refrain from committing provocative acts,” he added.
The shooting incident occurred on Monday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet issued a statement on Monday, claiming that the USNS Rappahannock attacked a small motor boat near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali, killing one and injuring three Indian fishermen, after they "ignored the warnings and came too close.”
The statement added that the US ship used a series of non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their "deliberate" approach before resorting to lethal force.
This is while the Indian fishermen who survived the deadly attack said on Tuesday that they had received no warnings before a .50-caliber gun opened fire on their boat, contradicting claims by US naval forces in the area.
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