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The provocative maneuver, which on Sunday brought the Iranian boat within 100 yards of the Firebolt, a coastal patrol boat that carries a crew of about 30, was assessed by the US to be unsafe and unprofessional and could have led to a collision, the official said.

There have been 31 unsafe America encounters with Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf so far this year, up from 23 in all of 2015, the official said.

US Army Gen. Joseph Votel, Commander of US Central Command, last week called the Iranian conduct "concerning."

"In recent days, we have witnessed even more provocative activity by the IRGC and Navy vessels. That type of behavior is very concerning, and we hope to see Iran's naval forces act in a more professional manner," he said.

Votel believes the "unsafe, unprofessional" behavior is an attempt by Iran to "exert their influence and authority in the region."

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Iran escalates high seas harassment of US Navy - CNN - cnn.com

Background:

Historically known as Persia, Iran was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, which was frequently invaded. Iran's hereditary monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled the country in 1979 after decades of corrupt and authoritarian rule, and mounting religious and political unrest. Exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to lead an Islamic revolution and formed the world's first Islamic republic the same year. An eight-year war with Iraq followed.

In the elections of 1992 and 1996, former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's support increased and at the presidential election of 1997 Mohammad Khatami, Rafsanjani's cultural adviser, succeeded him. Khatami promised greater freedom and tolerance and was supported mainly by women, younger voters and intellectuals.

In June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former mayor of the capital, Tehran, and famous for his conservative approach and for rolling back reforms put in place by modernists before him was elected president. He has not been shy of confronting the West and has pushed ahead with a national nuclear programme that has brought international condemnation. (Source: IRIN)

border countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan

Official Name: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran short form: Iran int'l long form: Islamic Republic of Iran former: Persia

ISO Country Code: ir

Time: Local Time = UTC +3.5h Actual Time: Tue-Sept-13 12:13 Summer UTC +4.5

Country Calling Code: +98

Capital City: Tehran

Other Cities: Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz.

Government: Type: Islamic republic. Independence: 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed) Constitution: Ratified December 1979, revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership.

Geography: Location: Middle East bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. Area: 1.6 million km (636,294 sq. mi.) Terrain: Desert and mountains.

Climate: Semiarid; subtropical along the Caspian coast.

People: Nationality: Iranian(s). Population: 76 million (2012). GNI per capita PPP: $ 8 065 (year) Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%. Religions: Shi'a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i 2%. Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other. Literacy: 80%

Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur.

Agriculture products: Wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar.

Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabrication, armaments.

Currency: Iranian Rial (IRR)

Iran in Figures Iran key statistical data.

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Iran - Country Profile - Islamic Republic of Iran - Persia

No. 39, Shahid Mousavi (Golestan 5th Pasdaran Avenue Tehran, Iran

Telephone: +(98) (21) 2254-2178 and +(98) (21) 2256-5273

Fax: +(98) (21) 2258-0432

The Swiss Government serves as the protecting power for U.S. citizens in Iran.

Virtual Embassy Tehran

All consular services require prior appointments which can be made by phone. The Foreign Interests Section can be reached by phone Sunday through Thursday between 07:45 and 15:00.

The Interests Section does not issue U.S. visas or accept visa applications.

The limited consular services provided to U.S. citizens in Tehran include: (a) Registering U.S. citizens; (b) Responding to inquiries concerning the welfare and whereabouts of U.S. citizens in Iran; (c) Rendering assistance in times of distress or physical danger; (d) Providing U.S. citizens with passport and Social Security card applications and other citizenship forms for processing at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland; (e) Performing notarial services; and (f) Taking provisional custody of the personal effects of deceased U.S. citizens.

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Iran - State

Iran may have received an additional $33.6 billion in secret cash and gold payments facilitatedby the Obama administration between 2014 and 2016, according to testimony provided before Congress by an expert on last summers nuclear agreement with Iran.

Between January 2014 and July 2015, when the Obama administration was hammering out the final details of the nuclear accord, Iran was paid $700 million every month from funds that had previously been frozen by U.S. sanctions.

A total of $11.9 billion was ultimately paid to Iran, but the details surrounding these payments remain shrouded in mystery,accordingto Mark Dubowitz, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

In total, Iran may have received as much as $33.6 billion in cash or in gold and other precious metals, Dubowitz disclosed.

New questions about these payments are emerging following confirmation from top Obama administration officials on Thursday that it was forced to pay Iran $1.7 billion in cash prior to the release of several U.S. hostages earlier this year.The administration insisted that cash had to be used for this payment.

Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.

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Iran may have received up to $33.6B in cash, gold payments ...

Iranian vessels from its Revolutionary Guard Corps harassed another U.S. Navy ship Sunday in the central Persian Gulf, a defense department official tells Fox News.

USS Firebolt, a coastal patrol ship, was shadowed by seven Iranian vessels. Three of the vessels came within 500 yards and shadowed Firebolt for eight minutes. Then one of the Iranian vessels broke off and raced in front of Firebolt and "came to a stop directly in front of the ship" at a range of 100 yards, according to the official.

The U.S. Navy ship attempted multiple radio communications with the Iranian vessel, but there was no reply.

The U.S. ship took evasive action to "narrowly avoid" the Iranian ship which stopped directly in front of it, according to the official.

"Clearly the Iranian behavior has to change," Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday.

Davis refused to outline any specifics on how to bring about that change.

The U.S. Navy assessed the interaction as "provocative harassment."

The Iranian ship had its weapons manned, but not pointed at the U.S. Navy ship, according to a defense official.

There have bene 31 "unsafe and unprofessional" interactions with Iran and the U.S. Navy. Each time, Iran was the aggressor Navy officials said. There have been nearly twice as many cases of harrassment by Iranian vessels against the U.S. Navy in the first half of 2016 as the first half of 2015.

Fox News was first to report that Iranian harassment of U.S. Navy ships in the Gulf have doubled in the past year.

This latest incident follows four similar provocations late last month, one which resulted in warning shots being fired by a U.S. Navy ship when an Iranian vessel approached quickly and at close range.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

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Iran vessels harass another US Navy ship in Persian Gulf ...