![An Iranian official has said its navy has obliged a US submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf [File: Iranian army office via AFP]](https://theafricadailypost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/33BF2Q7-highres-1681989873.jpg)
Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani stated on Thursday that Iran’s navy had forced a U.S. submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf, but the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet has denied such an incident ever took place.
According to Irani, “The U.S. submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out… manoeuvres 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.”
Irani went on to say that the U.S. submarine was attempting to pass through the area undetected and without making any noise, but Iran’s navy was able to detect it and force it to surface.
“This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected,” Irani said. “We will certainly reflect to international bodies the fact that it had violated our border.”
However, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet denied the incident, calling it Iranian “disinformation.”
“A U.S. submarine has not transited the Strait of Hormuz today or recently,” Commander Timothy Hawkins told Reuters. “The claim represents more Iranian disinformation that does not contribute to regional maritime security and stability.”
The U.S. Navy had previously announced that the nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was operating in the Middle East in support of its Fifth Fleet.
Tensions between Iranian and U.S. forces have been high in the region for some time. In early April, the Iranian navy claimed to have identified and warned off a U.S. reconnaissance plane outside the mouth of the Gulf. In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. drone which it said was flying over southern Iran.
