U.S. Navy Ship Fires Warning Shots at Iranian Boats
Pastor Dewey Moede
THE TOPLINE: Iran was back in the news Monday after yet another incident between the U.S. Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Hill’s Kristina Wong has the story:
A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots at Iranian boats on Sunday in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, a Pentagon official said Monday.
Four Iranian speed boats with their weapons manned approached a destroyer, the USS Mahan, at high rates of speed, coming within 900 yards, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said at a briefing.
The Mahan used radio calls, flares and other signals to steer the ships away, but there was no response. A U.S. helicopter overhead also dropped smoke grenades.
The U.S. ship finally fired three warning shots with a crew-served .50 caliber machine gun. After those shots, the Iranian ships, belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, stopped their approach.
IRANIANS BOOST MILITARY SPENDING: Coming on the heels of that incident, Iranian lawmakers voted Monday to more than double their defense spending, a move that is likely to raise anxiety in Washington.
More from Kristina Wong:
Iranian lawmakers approved a five-year plan on Monday to expand military spending to at least five percent of Iran’s budget, up from two percent.
The plans include developing Iran’s long-range missile program, according to a report by Reuters.
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged not to let Iran develop missiles capable of reaching the United States.
“We’re not gonna let that happen. We’re not letting that happen,” Trump vowed on March 21 at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.
MATTIS HEARING NEARS: Back on the Hill, lawmakers are prepping for retired Gen. James Mattis’ confirmation hearing for Defense secretary Thursday.
Over the weekend, the Office of Government Ethics released a two-page letter from Mattis outlining the steps he’ll take to avoid conflicts of interest. In it, he promises to resign from the board of defense contractor General Dynamics, forfeit his stock options and refrain from making decisions about the company’s contracts for a year, among other steps.
The office also released Mattis’ financial disclosure report that details salaries, investments, speaking fees and more. Mattis is worth at least $10 million, according to the document.
Read more, from The Hill’s Nikita Vladimirov, here.
RIVALRY BREWING ON TRUMP TEAM: The Hill’s Kristina Wong also had a story over the weekend about a potential clash between Mattis and retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, who is Trump choice for national security adviser.
From the story:
Donald Trump’s nomination of James Mattis as Defense secretary is sparking questions about how well the retired Marine general will get along with Mike Flynn, the three-star general set to be national security adviser.
Trump has a history of setting up rivalries among his advisers, and it appears he’s likely to have a big one on his national security team.
Flynn reportedly sought to block Mattis’s nomination weeks after Trump’s win in the election. And according to The Washington Post, a power struggle has already begun between the Trump transition team and Mattis over who should serve in top slots at the Pentagon.
The potential rivalry is almost certain to be raised at Mattis’s confirmation hearings next week, especially since it gives Democrats an opportunity to express their misgivings about Flynn’s role in the White House.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Rex Tillerson to be secretary of State at 9:15 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 106. https://bit.ly/2iULsAW
The Senate Armed Services Committee will also hold a hearing on civilian control of the military with testimony from outside experts at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Hart Senate Office Building, room 216. https://bit.ly/2iZ6e1R
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for retired Gen. John Kelly to be secretary of Homeland Security at 3:30 p.m. at Dirksen 342. https://bit.ly/2jaHfMr
ICYMI:
— The Hill: Week ahead: Mattis heads to confirmation hearing
— The Hill: Carter: We shouldn’t ‘limit ourselves’ in response to Russia
— The Hill: Senators finalizing new Russia sanctions bill for next week
— Defense News: Defense innovation board members pledge to stay on under Trump
— Stars and Stripes: US special operations raid in Syria targets Islamic State leadership
