Pentagon accuses Iran of unsafe conduct after helicopter buzzes US warship

The Pentagon has accused Iran’s navy of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after a helicopter flew within 25 yards of a US warship in the Gulf of Oman.

In the latest tense encounter between Iranian and western forces, the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship,was approached by the helicopter, which circled it three times.

John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, yesterday confirmed the incident, which occurred last Thursday, calling it “dangerous”. He added that at one point the aircraft flew as low as 10ft over the water.

“When the Iranian navy . . . flies like this, you definitely run the risk of some sort of escalation and a miscalculation, on either side . . . and that’s not helpful,” Kirby said. “This one ended peacefully, but it doesn’t mean it was safe and professional. It absolutely wasn’t.”

Video footage apparently filmed from the Iranian helicopter has been published online, showing close-up views of the US warship’s port side and flight deck, complete with its own helicopters and MV-22B Osprey aircraft.

“Without getting into specifics, the crew of the Essex took the appropriate force protection measures they felt that they needed to, and they acted in accordance with international law,” Kirby said, adding that the ship’s operations had not been affected.

Iran has previously been accused of staging a series of provocative attacks and seizures of shipping in the Gulf, including a drone attack on a tanker which killed a British security guard and a Romanian crew member in July.

This month the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) accused the US navy of trying to seize a Vietnamese-flagged tanker and “steal” its cargo of Iranian oil.

Iran’s state broadcasters aired dramatic footage of that incident in the Gulf of Oman, which happened on October 25, showing Iranian soldiers boarding the vessel from a helicopter.

IRGC ships and armed troops were also shown apparently warning off two US guided-missile destroyers, the USS The Sullivansand USS Michael P. Murphy.

The tanker, the MV Sothys, was escorted to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas where it was held for two weeks before being released after unloading its cargo.

The Pentagon denied “bogus” Iranian claims that they were trying to seize the ship in order to enforce an export ban on Iranian oil, but did not elaborate further.

Two unnamed defence officials later told the US Naval Institute’s website USNI News last week that the destroyers were investigating a suspected crime when IRGC forces approached the ships.

The American crews realised there was “no point in trying to engage” while the Iranians seized the tanker, one official said, but added that the Iranians had created a “Hollywood production” of the incident for propaganda purposes.