According to an Iranian military statement, the US warship approached the waters monitored by Iran and urged the deployment of rapid reaction helicopters from the Iranian Army Navy (Nedajah) 3rd Navy Area.
The helicopter hovered over the destroyer and delivered a clear radio warning to avoid Iran’s monitored water, news outlets reported.
In a subsequent standoff, USS Fitzgerald’s crew threatened to involve the helicopter if it was in close proximity.
Iran’s Army Air Defense Command then intervened, declaring that the helicopters were under full air defense protection and ordered the American destroyers to change course.
USS Fitzgerald was compliant and headed south from the conflict zone, according to the statement.
The US military has not issued an official statement regarding the incident. The incident unfolds amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf following the recent US-Israel war with Iran.
Iran and the US navy have had a long history of encounters since the 1980s in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
In 2019, Iran fired down a US RQ-4A Global Hawk drone near the Strait of Hormuz for an airspace violation.
The Iranian Navy frequently performs large-scale drills in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea, demonstrating its capabilities and deterrent to foreign forces.
MNA