U.S. Navy Denies Receiving 'Warning' from an Iranian Navy Ship

While the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran claims that a missile cruiser of this force has 'warned' an American warship while assisting a fishing vessel, U.S. officials state that there was no direct contact with the American vessel. The public relations office of the Islamic Republic Army reported on Sunday, September 10, without mentioning the time of the event, that the missile cruiser 'Falahen' was dispatched to the area after receiving a request for assistance from a fishing vessel. This fishing vessel, named 'Shams', was reportedly 45 miles off the coast of Jask port in Hormozgan province, suffering from flooding and engine room failure and had requested help. The Iranian Navy also stated that 'an American ship with hull number 02' was approaching this fishing vessel, which 'moved away from the area upon the warning and announcement of the presence of the missile cruiser Falahen.' If this report is accurate, it would be the first time in recent years that an Iranian Navy ship has warned an American ship, although U.S. officials have completely rejected the information provided in the Iranian Navy's statement. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Navy announced on Sunday that the mentioned incident occurred on Wednesday, September 6, involving a small vessel that was about 75 nautical miles away from the USS Tempest patrol ship. The report stated that another vessel offered assistance to this ship at a closer distance, but this vessel was in contact with the Iranian Navy. Based on the division of responsibilities, the two military forces of Iran, namely the Islamic Republic Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have designated the IRGC Navy's mission in the Persian Gulf up to the Strait of Hormuz, while the Army's mission is defined in the Sea of Oman. Previously, multiple reports have emerged regarding confrontations between IRGC vessels and U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, with U.S. officials repeatedly describing the actions of IRGC vessels approaching their ships as 'unprofessional' and 'unsafe,' warning of the 'risk of miscalculation' arising from these confrontations. On the other hand, Iranian officials always assert that the mission of these vessels is conducted within Iran's territorial waters, and the Iranian Ministry of Defense states that the monitoring of foreign vessels' movements in the Persian Gulf 'naturally occurs in Iran's territorial waters.' Donald Trump, the U.S. President during the election campaign, stated that if he won, he would order the targeting of Iranian fast boats if they 'create trouble' for American ships. Mr. Trump had said in September 2016, 'When they want to circle around our beautiful destroyers with their small boats... they will be shot at and thrown out of the waters.' Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives, by passing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, requested the Pentagon to establish a communication line with Iran to avoid accidental conflicts with Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf, although Iran previously rejected the proposal for establishing a communication line with the U.S. through the IRGC Navy commander.