DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iran on Wednesday said it warned a U.S. Navy destroyer to change course as it moved through waters close to Iran, but a U.S. 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 U.S. warship to change course, saying it was approaching Iranian territorial waters.
“U.S. 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.
Asked about the incident, a U.S. defense official told Reuters: “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 official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, identified the aircraft as an Iranian SH-3 “Sea King” helicopter and said the interaction took place entirely in international waters.
The incident follows U.S. 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 programme is for purely civilian purposes.
(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly in Dubai and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by William Maclean and Daniel Wallis)
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