The World : Warship Warns Iranians

An Italian warship leveled its guns at an Iranian frigate blocking its path at the southern end of the Persian Gulf and radioed a warning, “You’re in our way. . . . Move away.” The Iranian vessel did so, shipping officials in Bahrain said. “We heard the Italians question the Iranians about their intentions,” a salvage executive reported. The Italian ship was not identified. The Iranian frigate was believed to be the Alvand, which patrols waters in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the gulf’s narrow entrance, and at times intercepts commercial vessels to determine whether their cargoes include war materiel for Iraq.