Iran is standing strong in its defense of the Persian Gulf, declaring on Thursday that "if any foreign vessel enters our waters, we warn them, and if it's an invasion, we confront."
This statement comes just 24 hours after a U.S. destroyer was confronted and intercepted by four Iranian warships Tuesday afternoon near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. response to the incident was to declare the situation "unsafe and unprofessional."
As the Iranian boats charged towards the destroyer, American sailors on the USS Nitze can be seen in a video released by the Associated Press firing flares and blowing the warship's horn in defense of the ship.
This only adds to the timeline of Iran's aggressive behavior in 2016.
In early January, Iran captured 10 U.S. sailors and were immediately thanked by John Kerry for showing compassion and hospitality for their treatment while captive. Later that month, Iran flew a surveillance drone over a U.S. aircraft carrier taking "precise" photographs in part of a larger naval drill.
Then, two weeks later, Iran held a national parade celebrating the capture of the U.S. sailors with reenactments.
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In retaliation, the U.S. government paid Iran $8.6 million for nuclear chemicals in April and then inked a $25 billion contract between Boeing and the Iranian Government in June.
An award was handed out to one of the captured sailors for her acts of bravery while surrendering. According to reports, the Navy Commendation Medal was awarded to the only female in the group for activating an 'emergency position-indicating radio beacon' used to signal distress at sea.
And to cap things off, it is widely reported that U.S. officials from the White House authorized the ransom payment of existing U.S. prisoners in Iran and then tried to cover it up.
What a year it's been.
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