The US Department of Defense denies that Iran claims to threaten to fire and force US helicopters to land at sea | Iran | US
Iran released photos of US helicopter flights.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard claimed to be threatening to fire on American helicopters, forcing them to return and land, while American officials refuted Iran's claims.
According to a report on the US military website "Warzone" on August 21, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard has warned against firing on US Marines and naval helicopters, prompting them to return to their mother ships. These helicopters have recently covered a group of US warships while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The US Navy stated that there is no other reason for US helicopters to return to deck in support of this crossing of the strait, except for refueling on deck.
According to the news website of the American Naval Academy, Sabrina Singh, Deputy Secretary of the Pentagon, stated that she did not see footage of Iranian weapons forcing helicopters to land, but she stated that all reports of American helicopters being intercepted or forced to land were not true. She added, "I don't know if this is propaganda, but what I want to say is that this is an untrue statement and inaccurate."
A video released by Iran's Fars News Agency shows that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard representative claimed that a helicopter escorted by a US warship had violated Iranian territorial waters. The Revolutionary Guard warned that if the helicopter did not land, it would fire at the helicopter. In the video, during the passage through the strait, American AH-1Z, UH-1Y, and MH-60 helicopters were flying in the air.
The Warzone report states that this is a typical troop protection measure taken by the United States for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, which also includes personnel on deck using various weapon systems, including the Stinger portable air defense missile. The Strait of Hormuz is very narrow, with most of it belonging to the territorial waters of Iran or Oman. During routine entry into the Persian Gulf, US Navy vessels use the same shipping route as commercial ships, passing through Iranian waters.
"The US Navy will continue to fly and navigate within the limits permitted by international law," said Rick Chernyce, spokesperson for the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, in a statement. He added, "We interact with Iran at sea every day, and the vast majority of interactions are safe and professional, as was the case last week."