Iran says navy fired warning shots toward US destroyers in Sea of Oman

Iran’s Navy fired warning shots using missiles and drones toward US destroyers operating in the Sea of Oman, forcing them to withdraw from the area, according to an Iranian Army statement on Friday.

The army’s public relations office said the move was part of ongoing operations carried out in response to what it described as US harassment at sea and the seizure of Iranian commercial and oil tankers.

According to the statement, Iranian naval forces fired warning shots using Qadir missiles and Shahed Danesh offensive drones toward the destroyers DDG-103 and DDG-87.

The army claimed the vessels subsequently left the Sea of Oman and headed toward the Indian Ocean.

The statement added that the operation, along with similar actions in recent days, also compelled other US naval assets to leave the area, including destroyers operating as part of the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group and the amphibious assault ship Tripoli.

Iran accused the US naval forces of disrupting maritime trade and security in the region.

The army said the targeted destroyers served as a command-and-control center for what it described as hostile US activities against Iranian commercial shipping.

The command center overseeing Iranian naval operations called on the US to halt what it described as maritime theft and hostile actions in regional waters.

Although the US vessels had moved beyond the range of the missiles used in the warning operation, the statement said Iranian forces could employ longer-range weapons if necessary.