WANA (Jul 23) – On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at approximately 10:00 a.m., a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), attempted to approach waters under the surveillance of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Sea of Oman.

 

In response, a rapid-response helicopter team from the 3rd Naval Region of the Iranian Army Navy (NEDAJA) was deployed and flew over the foreign vessel, issuing a warning for it to retreat.

 

The American destroyer responded by threatening to target the Iranian helicopter and demanded that it leave the area. However, the Iranian pilot continued the mission with determination and repeated the warning for the U.S. ship to change course.

 

Following a renewed threat from the U.S. destroyer, Iran’s Army Air Defense Command intervened, announcing that the Iranian Navy helicopter was under full air defense protection and that the U.S. vessel must alter its path southward.

 

Faced with the firm stance of the Iranian flight team and the support of Iran’s air defense systems, the U.S. destroyer ultimately withdrew from the waters monitored by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, in the Oman Sea. Social media/ WANA News Agency