Iran claims to have confronted US destroyer in the Gulf of Oman

By AFP 23 July 2025, 5:46 pm

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In this June 1, 2017 photo, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, foreground, (DDG 62) makes its way with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, through the Sea of Japan. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelsey L. Adams/US Navy via AP)

Iranian forces confronted a US destroyer in the Gulf of Oman today, warning it to stay out of waters claimed by Tehran, state television reports.

State TV says that an Iranian army helicopter flew over the USS Fitzgerald at about 10 a.m. today after the vessel “attempted to approach the waters under the supervision” of Iran.

The destroyer issued threats of its own, the broadcaster claims, but “the Iranian pilot… reiterated the warning to stay away from Iranian waters,” forcing the US vessel to “give in” and alter its course.

There was no immediate comment from the US Navy.

In a video released by Iranian state TV, a destroyer is seen from what seems to be a helicopter window as the pilot calls on the vessel to “change course” and avoid approaching Iranian territorial waters.

Iranian forces have a history of confronting US forces in bodies of water off the country’s southern coast like the Gulf of Oman.