After nuclear deal, Iran sticks to wary tactics in key Gulf waterway

An amphibious vessel, the USS New Orleans, is seen in this photograph taken in the Pacific Ocean, on November 4, 2008 and released to Reuters March 20, 2009. REUTERS/J.G. Jared Apollo Burgamy/U.S. Navy/Handout

ABOARD THE USS NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday dispatched five military vessels to monitor a U.S. warship hosting one of America's top generals on a day trip through the Strait of Hormuz, coming as close as 500 yards.

For Army General Joseph Votel, who oversees all American military forces in the Middle East, the approaches were a safe though worrying reminder of how little time American forces have to decide whether IRGC ships might pose a threat.