Iran protests US naval attack
Saturday, 19 December 2009
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18 (AP): Iran sent a letter to the UN protesting what it called an unlawful attack by the US Navy in the Persian Gulf that caused an Iranian fishing boat to sink.
The letter about the September 15 incident was sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and was circulated Thursday.
According to that protest letter, two vessels from the destroyer USS John Paul Jones with a total of about 20 crew members "attacked a fishing vessel sailing under the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran" within the country's exclusive economic zone.
"After illegally searching and fingerprinting the crew of the vessel, the United States crew opened fire on its fuel tank, causing the vessel to catch fire and sink," the letter said. It did not say what happened to the Iranians on the fishing boat.
The letter about the September 15 incident was sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and was circulated Thursday.
According to that protest letter, two vessels from the destroyer USS John Paul Jones with a total of about 20 crew members "attacked a fishing vessel sailing under the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran" within the country's exclusive economic zone.
"After illegally searching and fingerprinting the crew of the vessel, the United States crew opened fire on its fuel tank, causing the vessel to catch fire and sink," the letter said. It did not say what happened to the Iranians on the fishing boat.