Iran said on Friday (5) that it fired warning shots with missiles and drones at United States military vessels in the Sea of Oman, amid increased tensions between the two countries in the region’s maritime routes. The statement was released by the press office of the Iranian Army and shared by the official channel of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to Tehran, the action involved the Qadir missile and Shahed Dana attack drones and occurred during operations to combat what it classified as “acts of hostility, maritime disturbances and attempts to seize commercial vessels and oil tankers” by the US. The Iranian government claims that, after the warning shots, the American destroyers DDG-103 and DDG-87 left the Sea of Oman towards the Indian Ocean.
The statement also said that other American vessels, including units associated with the George W. Bush aircraft carrier battle group and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, were forced to move away from the area following operations conducted in recent days.
The demonstration comes hours after the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) reported that American forces carried out a maritime interdiction operation and inspection of the vessel MT Davina, described as a sanctioned stateless vessel, in the Indian Ocean. In a statement, the US said it will continue to apply maritime surveillance measures to disrupt illicit networks and intercept vessels that provide material support to Iran.
Following the Iranian allegations, the United States Central Command (Centcom) denied that Tehran forces had fired on American warships or forced any withdrawal of US vessels. In a publication on the social network X, the command classified the Iranian version as “false” and stated that an attack on American Navy units would represent a “serious violation” of the ceasefire in force.
“US forces continue to operate freely in the region’s waters while fully enforcing the ongoing blockade against Iran,” Centcom said.
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