According to a Defense Department press release of May 23 the United States military conducted training exercises with live ammunition in the Persian Gulf in recent days.
The training that took place between May 19 and 21 and integrated Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters with the U.S. Air Force AC-130W gunships and U.S Navy ships.
“This was a great opportunity to incorporate the awesome firepower of the AC-130W into our Navy-Marine Corps live-fire training, rehearsing swift and lethal strikes with pinpoint accuracy against surface targets" said Capt. Lance Lesher commander of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).
On May 20 the U.S. Navy issued a warning in the Persian Gulf that "armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat."
According to the Captain Lance Lesher, Commander of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, “This complex coordination involving SOCCENT, Marine Corps and Navy forces further expands our capability to defend ourselves against any threats we might encounter while operating lawfully in support of maritime security and our regional partners in the Arabian Gulf.”
U.S. President Donald Trump issued an order to the U.S. Navy on April 22 to “shoot down and destroy” Iranian gunboats that harass U.S. ships.
On June 20th it will be one year since Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Persian Gulf.
