NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAILY

Created: 3/6/1997

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

H Director of Central tnuUige,

Top Syrtl /

National

Intelligence

Daily

7

mm EYES*

Frigate Challenged in Persian Gulf1

The challenge by three Iranian naml speedboats yesterday of the frigate VSS Halyburton in the northern Persian Galf was an unusually aggressive responseoutine maritime interception in international waters of Iranian dhows suspected of violating sanctions against Iraq. An Iranian crewman asked ihe Halyhurion to leave Iranian territorial waters after ihc boats had approached ihe Halyburton aipeed,

in one of Ihe boats had begun loading its forward gun and brought whai appeared tohoulder-fired rockel launcher on deck,

incident ended peacefully, although ihe Halyburton conducted an evasive maneuver as one dhow passed closen aptuicnt actofdefiancej

LS encounters with ressels in ihe Gulf have nol typically led to such confrontation^ bul, during the past three months, sanctions violators in the Gulf have adopted more aggressive tactics lo aroid inlerctption. Some have used banian territorial waters for safehaven, called for Iranian naval assistance, and have rammed ot uied lo ram US ships.

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Original document.

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