U.S. Action in Gulf Correct: Weinberger

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger said today that U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf acted correctly when they sank one Iranian boat and disabled two others after being fired on, in what the Pentagon said was the first direct attack by Iran on American forces.

“Our men are not required to be hit before they respond,” Weinberger told an international conference sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency.

No Americans were injured or killed in the Thursday night fighting, which began when a group of four Iranian gunboats opened fire without warning on a U.S. observation helicopter that Weinberger said was “on normal patrol” in the northern gulf.

The confrontation ended when Army attack helicopters strafed and disabled three of the Iranian boats, sinking one. The Navy rescued six Iranian crewmen from the gulf’s waters, but two of them subsequently died. One of the survivors suffered serious injuries, Weinberger said.

Dead in Water

The Pentagon initially said three boats were sunk, but Weinberger said that at daylight it was discovered that two were dead in the water but still afloat.

“The visual sighting last night, to the extent that it could be done, indicated that three had been sunk. . . . This morning we found the two . . . totally disabled and took them in tow, and have them under control. And we’ll be examining them fairly closely,” Weinberger said.

The confrontation marked the first time Iranian military forces had opened fire on a U.S. ship or aircraft. An American helicopter gunship on Sept. 21 disabled the minelayer Iran Ajr that later was scuttled by U.S. authorities. But that vessel was attacked after it was detected laying mines and it never fired at U.S. aircraft.

Denies Shooting First

Weinberger denied assertions by Iran that U.S. forces had fired first in the latest incident but acknowledged that the United States could not prove that.

“We don’t have the absolutely conclusive evidence that we did when (Iranian crew) men were seen pushing mines into the sea,” he said, referring to mines found aboard the Iran Ajr and in nearby waters and to testimony from crewmen.

In a separate incident, Weinberger said another U.S. military helicopter flying in the southern gulf on Thursday reported gunshots being fired from an Iranian oil rig. In that case, however, he said it was unclear whether the Iranians were firing at the Americans and the helicopter left the area without returning fire.