Iranian helicopter confronts US warship approaching territorial waters

Iranian authorities media picture the confrontation arsenic ‘tense’, portion US subject says the brushwood was ‘professional’.

Iran has said it warned a United States Navy destroyer to alteration people arsenic it approached Iranian territorial waters successful the Gulf of Oman, but the US has claimed the confrontation was “professional” and had “no impact” connected its naval mission.

Iranian authorities media published video and images of Wednesday’s incidental – the archetypal nonstop brushwood reported betwixt Iranian and US forces since the 12-day warfare betwixt Iran and Israel successful June – taken from a chopper dispatched to face the USS Fitzgerald guided rocket destroyer.

“US destroyer ‘Fitzgerald’ attempted to attack waters nether Iran’s monitoring, successful a provocative move”, Iranian authorities tv said.

In video footage of the reported encounter, a chopper is seen flying successful adjacent proximity to the warship and an Iranian unit subordinate tin beryllium heard issuing what appeared to beryllium a vigor informing successful English to the warship, ordering it to alteration people arsenic it was approaching Iran’s territorial waters astatine astir 10am section clip (06:00 GMT).

Iranian authorities media person described the brushwood arsenic a tense exchange.

IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News connected Wednesday released footage it claimed showed an Iranian navy chopper forcing the USS Fitzgerald, a US guided rocket destroyer, to change its course. The study said the warship had approached waters nether Iran’s supervision successful the Sea of Oman. pic.twitter.com/gcfMQ23K6f

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 23, 2025

The US destroyer reportedly responded by threatening to people the Iranian craft if it did not leave. The vas yet departed the country upon continued warnings from the Iranian military.

US Central Command disputed the Iranian relationship of tension, calling the incidental a “safe and nonrecreational interaction”.

Asked astir the encounter, a US defence official, speaking connected information of anonymity with the Reuters quality agency, besides downplayed its seriousness.

“This enactment had nary interaction to USS Fitzgerald’s mission, and immoderate reports claiming different are falsehoods and attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to dispersed misinformation,” the authoritative said.

The official, who said the enactment took spot wholly successful planetary waters, identified the craft arsenic an Iranian SH-3 “Sea King” helicopter.

The US subject inserted itself into Israel’s warfare against Iran past period erstwhile it bombed Iranian atomic sites. US President Donald Trump hailed the strikes arsenic a “spectacular” occurrence that “obliterated” Iran’s atomic programme.

But media reports successful the US, citing quality assessments, suggest the campaign was lone partially successful, with conscionable 1 of the 3 Iranian atomic sites – the Fordow installation – reportedly destroyed.

In an interrogation broadcast connected Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was committed to continuing its atomic programme for peaceful purposes, and that his state is prepared for immoderate aboriginal warfare that Israel mightiness wage against it.

He added that helium was not optimistic astir the ceasefire betwixt the countries.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies