TEHRAN -- An Iranian Navy helicopter intercepted the U.S. destroyer USS Fitzgerald in the Sea of Oman, issuing radio warnings that forced the American warship to change course southward. 
According to an official statement from Iran’s Armed Forces, the U.S. vessel approached waters monitored by Iran, prompting a rapid-reaction helicopter from the Navy’s Third Naval Region to deploy. 
The helicopter hovered over the destroyer, delivering clear radio messages ordering it to leave Iranian-monitored waters. 
During the standoff, the USS Fitzgerald crew threatened to engage the helicopter if it did not withdraw. Iran’s Army Air Defense Command then declared the helicopter under full protection and commanded the destroyer to alter its route. 
The USS Fitzgerald complied and moved south, away from the disputed area. 
The U.S. military has not yet issued an official response to the incident, which occurred amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf following recent U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran. 
Encounters between Iranian and U.S. naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz have a long history dating back to the 1980s, including the 2019 downing of a U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone by Iran for airspace violations. 
The Iranian Navy regularly holds large-scale exercises in the region to demonstrate its capabilities and deter foreign powers.
On July 16, Iranian authorities seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman on charges of fuel smuggling, detaining 17 crew members. 
Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province Mojtaba Ghahremani said the vessel was carrying two million liters of fuel without proper documentation and had been placed under judicial investigation.
In March 2024, Iran joined China and Russia in large-scale naval drills in the Sea of Oman involving over 20 ships and combat helicopters. 
In April 2023, Iran seized the Marshall Islands–flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet in the same waters.