Iranian navy warns off US warship in Sea of Oman

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An Iranian missile boat warned off a US warship approaching Iran's dhow in the Sea of Oman, the navy of the Islamic republic said in a statement on Sunday, Press TV reported.

"The dhow, Shams (Sun), had set sail from the port city of Jask in southeastern Iran to test its engine. Forty-five miles (72 kilometers) into the sea, the vessel's engine started to malfunction, and its sailors informed the Iranian navy of the incident," the statement said.

The navy dispatched Falakhan (Sling) missile boat to the vessel's rescue, which towed the broken-down dhow to the port, but before that a US destroyer was seen approaching the dhow, it said.

The US warship USS Tempest left the area with a warning of the Falakhan missile boat, the statement read.

US Navy warship USS Tempest /AFP Photo/US Navy

However, the US Navy denied any direct contact with Iranian forces. "At no time was there any direct contact between the US and Iranian maritime forces," US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) spokesman Chloe Morgan said.

US-Iran tensions

Tensions have been on the rise between the Iranian and US military in the Gulf in recent months.

In August, an unarmed Iranian drone came within 100 feet (31 meters) of a US Navy warplane as it prepared to land on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf, a US official said at the time.

And in July, a US Navy ship fired warning shots when an Iranian vessel in the Gulf came within 150 yards (137 meters) in the first such incident since President Donald Trump took office in January, US officials said.

Tehran and Washington on July 29, 2017 accused each other's naval forces of provocative maneuvers in the Gulf that culminated in a US helicopter firing warning flares at Iran‍ian vessels. /AFP Photo/US NAVY

Years of mutual animosity had eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran last year as part of a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. But serious differences remain over Iran’s ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

The Trump administration, which has taken a hard line on Iran, recently declared that Iran was complying with its nuclear agreement with world powers, but warned that Tehran was not following the spirit of the accord and that Washington would look for ways to strengthen it.

During the presidential campaign last September, Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that harass the US Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water."

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency