DUBAI: Iran’s navy forced a US submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday, but the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet denied such an incident had taken place.
“The US submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... manoeuvres to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned,” Irani said.
“This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected,” Irani said. “We will certainly reflect to international bodies the fact that it had violated our border.”
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, denied what it called Iranian “disinformation”.
Iranian army gets 200 new ‘strategic’ drones
“A US submarine has not transited the Strait of Hormuz today or recently,” Commander Timothy Hawkins said. “The claim represents more Iranian disinformation that does not contribute to regional maritime security and stability.”
The US Navy said earlier this month that the nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was operating in the Middle East in support of its Fifth Fleet.
Iranian and US forces have had a number of confrontations in the past. In early April, the Iranian navy said it had identified and warned off a US reconnaissance plane outside the mouth of the Gulf. In 2019, Iran shot down a US drone which it said was flying over southern Iran.
‘Strategic’ drones
Iran’s defence ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported on Thursday.
In a ceremony broadcast on television, Defence Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani handed over “more than 200 long-range strategic drones” to army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, the official news agency IRNA said.
Produced by the Iranian defence ministry, the drones are designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, and can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, it said.
The United States and the European Union have sanctioned Iran over its drone programme, alleging it had supplied Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles for its war on Ukraine — a charge Tehran denies.
Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2023
