A US official said Thursday that Iranian missiles loaded on small boats in the Persian Gulf were among the "threats" that have triggered a beefed-up military deployment in the region. "The missiles on civilian boats are a concern," said the official, who asked not to be named.
The person was confirming reports in The New York Times saying that Washington reacted to aerial photos from US intelligence agencies showing traditional boats carrying Iranian missiles in the Gulf, one of the world's most strategic waterways. The fully-assembled missiles were loaded on the boats by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which the US has designated a "foreign terrorist organization," the newspaper reported. "What the military and the intelligence are concerned about is the intent," the US official told AFP.