US Army: Iranian Drone Flight Over USS Truman Unusual and Unprofessional

On Friday, February 9, the US Army announced that an unarmed Iranian drone flew directly over the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in international waters of the Persian Gulf, describing the action as "unusual and unprofessional." Iranian state television reported that an Iranian reconnaissance drone was able to photograph the American aircraft carrier during a naval exercise. A spokesperson for the US Navy stated that the Iranian drone flew over the USS Harry Truman on January 12 but could not confirm if this incident was the same one recently reported by Iran. According to the Associated Press, there have been multiple maritime incidents between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf, including the test firing of Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz and the temporary detention of US Navy personnel who entered Iranian waters. The US Navy stated that since the drone was unarmed and not considered a threat, they did not fire at it. However, this incident indicates that despite improved diplomatic relations, a level of tension between the two countries continues in the Persian Gulf region. The Associated Press reported that it has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of images released by Iranian state television and the semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard. A spokesperson for the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, confirmed that on January 12, an unarmed Iranian drone flew in international waters of the Persian Gulf near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and the USS Harry Truman. The US military spokesperson stated that a helicopter was dispatched to ensure the unidentified drone was unarmed and posed no threat to the ships, while both aircraft carriers were not engaged in any operations at that time. The US military described the Iranian drone flight as "unusual and unprofessional" and added that the Navy could not verify the authenticity of the images broadcast by Iran due to the existence of numerous similar videos on the internet. From the comments of this US military spokesperson, it can be inferred that if the Iranian drone flight had occurred during the takeoff or landing of fighter jets on the decks of these two aircraft carriers, the response might have been different. According to Iranian state television, the drone flight and photography occurred on the third day of Iran's naval exercise, which should have been on Friday. Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, commander of the Iranian Navy, described the flight of the reconnaissance drone as a "sign of bravery" and stated in an interview with Iranian state television, "It allowed our personnel to get very close to the warship and capture beautiful and accurate images of foreign military units." Iranian state television and the IRNA news agency also reported that an Iranian light submarine participated in this reconnaissance operation. The US Fifth Fleet spokesperson commented on the Iranian submarine, stating, "Several submarines also participated in the naval exercise of that country," but did not provide further details. Iranian media did not disclose the name of the American ship. The USS Harry Truman, which is stationed in the Persian Gulf, is part of US operational units conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group. In Washington, a senior US Navy spokesperson emphasized that if necessary, US forces are fully prepared to use force. He stated, "We are fully confident in the capabilities of our armed forces to counter any threat in any situation and will effectively defend ourselves if necessary." Meanwhile, Iranian state media have extensively covered the country's naval exercise in the Persian Gulf, during which a successful test firing of the long-range "Noor" missile was conducted. The Iranian government has consistently conducted similar exercises to demonstrate the readiness and capabilities of its armed forces in the Persian Gulf region. The scale of this exercise has been reported to cover approximately three million square kilometers, including parts of the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the Indian Ocean. Iran stated on Wednesday that it warned a US warship to leave the exercise area, but the US Navy denied any impact on its ongoing operations due to Iran's exercise. Despite the recent nuclear agreement and improved relations between the two countries, the waters of the Persian Gulf continue to be a site of occasional tensions between Iranian and American armed forces. The US has previously called some of these exercises, including missile firings by Iran in the shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz last December, "provocative." Iran denied the missile firing at that time, but the US Navy released footage related to the incident.