The U.S. military on Saturday released footage that it says shows the Iranian Revolutionary Guard firing “provocative” shots near other countries’ warships, a move that is certain to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
The 45-second video shows an Iranian ship firing “several unguided rockets” in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Navy. Officials say it was taken by a Navy helicopter on Dec. 26.
{mosads}Those shots were fired within close proximity to two U.S. carriers, a French carrier and commercial traffic, according to information from the Navy.
The military said it released the footage in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request from the Military Times, which has investigated the incident. But it also comes as the U.S. eyes escalating conflicts between Iran and Saudi Arabia, while at the same time supports its recent nuclear deal with Iran.
The two Middle Eastern nations have been battling since last week, when Saudi Arabia executed 47 prisoners including a Shiite cleric. Protesters in Iran then set ablaze the Saudi embassy.
U.S. military officials first disclosed details about the incident last month, according to the Military Times. Iran had dismissed the claim as “psychological warfare.”
“The Guard’s Navy had no drills in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz and didn’t fire missiles or rockets during the past week and the time claimed by the Americans,” Gen. Ramezan Sharif, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, said on the Revolutionary Guard’s website.