A US Navy vessel has fired on a small motor boat off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after it disregarded warnings, according to an American defence official.
He said the boat had been rapidly approaching the Navy ship USNS Rappahannock and the vessel "departed" after being fired on.
One person was killed and three others injured in the incident, a US consular official in Dubai said.
The official gave no other details, but it appeared the boat could have been mistaken as a threat in Gulf waters not far from Iran's maritime boundaries.
Dozens of police officers and other Emirati officials crowded around the white-hulled boat, which sat docked after the incident in a small Dubai port used by fishermen and sailors.
The boat appeared to be a civilian vessel about 30ft (nine metres) long and powered by three outboard motors.
Similar boats are used for fishing in the region, though Iran's Revolutionary Guard also employs relatively small, fast-moving craft in the Gulf.
More information follows...
