President Trump said Wednesday that he has directed the Navy to “shoot down and destroy” Iranian gunboats that “harass” U.S. ships, and U.S. officials said the threat was meant to warn Iran not to repeat what the Pentagon described as a provocative encounter last week in the Persian Gulf.
It was the president’s most direct threat of military action against Iran since the two nations came close to war in January, when Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian general and Iran retaliated with attacks that harmed U.S. forces.
Although Trump said he had “instructed” the Navy on the U.S. response, the nation’s No. 2 military officer later said the decision to use deadly force against an Iranian ship is up to individual Navy commanders, depending on the level of threat to their ships and sailors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...b924c6-8499-11ea-ae26-989cfce1c7c7_story.html
In other words, the Navy is ignoring the retarded fartmouth and continuing to adhere to good sense, the laws of war, the law of the sea, and the Rules of Engagement.
