Iran says it warned away US destroyer but US dismisses account

Iran on Wednesday said it warned a US Navy destroyer to change course as it moved through waters close to Iran, but a US defense official said the interaction was safe and professional and had no impact on its mission.

Iranian state media published images from a helicopter in visual range of the USS Fitzgerald guided missile destroyer. A crew member could be heard issuing what appeared to be a radio warning to the US warship to change course, saying it was approaching Iranian territorial waters.

“US destroyer ‘Fitzgerald’ attempted to approach waters under Iran’s monitoring, in a provocative move,” Iranian state TV said, adding that the destroyer moved out of the area upon continued warning.

A US defense official said: “At 10:50 a.m. today (Wednesday), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) had a safe and professional interaction with an Iranian SH-3 ‘Sea King’ helicopter while operating in international waters.”

The official added: “This interaction had no impact to USS Fitzgerald’s mission and any reports claiming otherwise are falsehoods and attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to spread misinformation.”

The incident follows US strikes last month on Iranian nuclear facilities that Washington says were part of a program geared towards developing nuclear weapons. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.