Trump Orders Navy to ‘Shoot Down and Destroy’ Iranian Boats After Fox & Friends Coverage of Tensions

By Ken MeyerApr 22nd, 2020, 10:05 am
 

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has ordered the Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian ships harassing U.S. ships at sea.

“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The president’s abrupt announcement comes a week after the Navy reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “conducted dangerous and harassing approaches” on U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf. The Navy said Iranian ships made alarming movements around U.S. vessels, approaching at high speeds and coming within 10 yards of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Maui’s bow at one point.

While it isn’t precisely clear what prompted Trump to tweet about this issue now, there’s a clue from his usual morning behavior on Twitter. Fox & Friends aired several bulletins about the incident on Wednesday, reporting the Iranian ships were “caught on camera performing dangerous maneuvers around our warships.” This coincided with their coverage on Iran’s launch of a new military satellite.

Watch above, via Fox News.

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