Strange goings on in the Straits of Hormuz

This story is in the American media but not being covered in the UK so far as I can see.

"(CNN) -- Five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats "harassed and provoked" three U.S. Navy ships early Sunday in international waters, the U.S. military said Monday, calling the encounter a "significant" confrontation...The U.S. Navy also received a radio transmission that officials believe came from the Iranian boats. The transmission said, "I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," the U.S. military officials told CNN. When the U.S. ships heard that radio transmission, they took up their gun positions and officers were "in the process" of giving the order to fire when the Iranians abruptly turned away, the U.S. officials said. After the radio transmission, one of the Iranian boats dropped white boxes into the water in front of the U.S. ships, the officials said. It was not clear what was in the boxes, the officials said."

What was going on? My money is on the Iranians trying to provoke the Americans into firing on their craft so the Iranians could then put their propaganda machine into operation, claiming that the "Great Satan" fired on a retreating ship. Sacrificing a few "martyrs" in a move for domestic and international sympathy, particularly in the Islamic world. Brinkmanship is the word and I think they will try this again, maybe next time they will ramp it up just another notch. The Iranian regime cannot lose; if nothing happens as a result, then so be it; if the US open fire, then the poor Iranians are the victims - and the MSM will promote this view for them.