French Navy Blocks Iran Identity Check

A French warship was present when an Iranian military vessel tried to check the identity of a French merchant ship in the Persian Gulf last month, a French Defense Ministry spokesman disclosed.

In a brief weekend statement, the spokesman said, “A French navy ship witnessed an attempted reconnaissance of a French cargo ship by an Iranian vessel.” He added that the incident passed peacefully, but he would give no further details.

Informed military sources said that an Iranian gunboat demanded to check the identity of the merchant ship, whose crew feared that it might be seized. A French warship arrived quickly, and the gunboat did not insist on the reconnaissance, they said.