Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani
The US has denied claims by Iran that it forced an American submarine to surface as it entered the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani said on Thursday that the vessel was underwater as it approached the Strait when it was spotted by an Iranian 'Fateh' submarine which forced it to come to the surface.
Irani said: "The US submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... maneuvers 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.”
The Iranian commander claimed: "This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected.
"We will certainly reflect to international bodies the fact that it had violated our border."
However, the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy denied such report as Iranian "disinformation". Commander Timothy Hawkins told Reuters that no US submarine has transited the Strait of Hormuz “today or recently”.
He added: "The claim represents more Iranian disinformation that does not contribute to regional maritime security and stability."
Earlier this month, the US Navy confirmed that its nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was in the Middle East supporting its Fifth Fleet.
Several confrontations have occurred between Iranian and US forces in the past. Iran's navy said in early April that a US reconnaissance plane had been identified and warned off outside the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran shot down a US drone it said was flying over southern Iran in 2019.