U.S. Navy ship fires warning shots after close encounter with Iranian vessels

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military ship fired warning shots after three vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and another American patrol boat in the Gulf, the United States military said on Tuesday.

"The U.S. crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio and loud-hailer devices, but the IRGCN vessels continued their close range maneuvers," the military statement said.

"The crew of Firebolt then fired warning shots, and the IRGCN vessels moved away to a safe distance from the U.S. vessels," the statement added, using the name for the U.S. Navy patrol ship.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese)