Iranian Helicopter Confronts US Destroyer
Iranian state media released video and images from the encounter on Wednesday, which if accurate would be the first known direct confrontation between Iranian and American forces since the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June. The footage was taken from a helicopter deployed by the IRGC Navy to intercept the vessel.
Surprisingly, the Pentagon did acknowledge the encounter, and described the interaction as 'professional' while saying it had no effect on its operations.But the Iranian side described it as an act of aggression by the US military, with state television in Iran accusing the warship USS Fitzgerald of making a 'provocative' move by approaching waters in Iran's own backyard.
The video shows a helicopter flying close to the warship, with an Iranian crew member issuing a radio warning in English, demanding that the ship change course as it neared Iran's territorial waters around 10am local time. Iranian media further characterized the event as a tense standoff.
The US vessel responded by warning it would fire on the Iranian aircraft if it did not retreat, per the claims of Iranian officials, and the vessel eventually left the area following repeated Iranian warnings. Thus Tehran is saying its Navy chased the US destroyer out of Iranian territorial waters.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has roundly rejected Iran's version of events, instead describing in a statement the following:
'This had no effect on the USS Fitzgerald's mission, and any claims to the contrary are misinformation from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,' the official said of the exchange which occurred in international waters.
Below: watch the standoff as featured in Iranian footage:
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News on Wednesday released footage it claimed showed an Iranian navy helicopter forcing the USS Fitzgerald, a US guided missile destroyer, to alter its course. The report said the warship had approached waters under Iran's supervision in the Sea of Oman. pic.twitter.com/gcfMQ23K6f — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 23, 2025
Iran's president just this week said his country will continue enrichment uranium for its peaceful nuclear energy program, and stands ready to take on any future potential Israeli or US attacks.
President Trump meanwhile has said he's ready and willing to attack Iran again if it looks like the Islamic Republic is trying to reconstitute its 'destroyed' nuclear program.
As for the possibility of resuming talks, according to the latest in Reuters : 'Iran is ready to resume nuclear talks with the United States as long as some principles are respected, deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday, a day before a meeting with European powers in Istanbul.'
The statement continued: 'The Iranian diplomat said talks could resume as long as Tehran's rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are recognized and Washington builds trust with Tehran and guarantees that negotiations will not lead to renewed military action against Iran.'
Also read: Iran Acknowledges That US Airstrikes 'Destroyed' Nuclear Facilities
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
9 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
OPEC Is Playing The Long Game
OPEC is pursuing a long-term strategy to increase its market share and is unwinding production cuts, with oil prices remaining strong due to factors beyond OPEC's direct control. The rise in oil prices is influenced by geopolitical developments, such as U.S.-Chinese trade talks and sanctions against Russia, as well as a decline in new non-OPEC oil discoveries. OPEC's approach is also aimed at restoring group cohesion among its members and capitalizes on the resilience of oil demand, even as some forecasts suggest a peak in consumption. 'There is no peak in oil demand on the horizon,' the head of OPEC, Haitham al Ghais, said last month in Canada. Demand will continue to increase as global population grows, he added. And OPEC will be there to respond with what supply is necessary. OPEC is now playing the long game. Fast-forward a month and Reuters is reporting on 'signs of strong demand more than offset the impact of a higher-than-expected OPEC+ output hike for August', not to mention now chronic worry about Trump's tariffs. In fact, after OPEC+ announced the bigger than expected supply boost, prices rose, not least because not everyone boosting supply was boosting it fast enough. When OPEC+ first said they were going to start unwinding their production cuts, agreed back in 2022, reactions were varied. Some argued it was all about trying to kill U.S. shale again. Others said the Saudis, the biggest cutter, simply had no other choice any longer after the cuts failed to produce significantly higher prices. Yet others claimed OPEC in general and Saudi Arabia specifically are trying to please Trump—by hurting some of his biggest donors. OPEC itself has not endorsed any of these versions of events. The fact remains that OPEC is reversing the cuts, boosting oil supply—but prices are not tanking as so many prominent energy analysts said they would, and are still saying they would, later this year. Of course, this is because of factors unrelated to OPEC, namely geopolitical developments such as U.S.-Chinese trade talks and Canadian wildfires, as well as yet more EU sanctions against Russia. But OPEC certainly wouldn't mind these factors supporting prices, if not more U.S. rig additions. OPEC is playing for market share. This is one of the most popular explanations for the group's latest moves among analysts. After curbing production for a couple of years and surrendering market share in the process, now some of the world's biggest producers want this market share back. This is going to take a while. Bank of America's head of commodities research, Francisco Blanch called it a 'long and shallow' price war. 'It's not a price war that is going to be short and steep; rather it's going to be a price war that is long and shallow,' Blanch told Bloomberg a month ago. He went on to say the target, especially for the Saudis, is U.S. shale, which has become more resilient in recent years but is still vulnerable to lower oil prices because of its higher costs. There is also another aspect to the change in OPEC approach, as detailed by Kpler's Amena Bakr. It's about group cohesion, Bakr wrote in an analysis for The National. With so much non-compliance with the cuts, those that were compliant needed to have their concerns addressed, too. 'To restore a sense of fairness, an orderly plan to return the barrels gradually was needed to avoid a free-for-all situation that would drown the market in supply,' Bakr explained. OPEC doesn't even need to try very hard this time, because geopolitics is working in its favor. Last month, prices climbed immediately on the suggestion that the U.S.-Iran talks could escalate into missile action, after the Iranian defense minister threatened strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the two fail to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear program. U.S. Congress work on fresh sanctions against Russia, targeting specifically its energy industry also served as a driver for higher prices, undeterred by EU plans to try and stop importing even petroleum products made with Russian crude, possibly in light of the EU's track record of success with the anti-Russian sanctions. Yet there is another factor helping OPEC stay on top: non-OPEC supply. The Financial Times reported in mid-June that the international supermajors have not made many new discoveries lately. Since 2020, new non-shale discoveries have averaged 2.5 billion barrels a year, the FT noted, citing a Goldman Sachs report. This is just 25% of the average annual in new discoveries for the three years prior to 2020. In other words, all the talk about non-OPEC swamping OPEC and taking the upper hand on international oil markets may have been a little premature—as may be the case of IEA demand projections. The IEA has been notoriously bearish on oil demand, repeatedly citing rising EV sales, even though these sales in the U.S. are set for a serious decline. In Europe, EV sales are on the rise thanks to the return of subsidies but how long these are going to last is anyone's guess. China is always the country everyone points to when it comes to EVs, and yet China's oil demand is still growing—although peak talk is intensifying there as well, including from its own state oil majors. In this situation, OPEC essentially does not need to do anything but sit and wait. Price-sensitive U.S. shale will slow down, lack of new discoveries will crimp the growth potential of the supermajors, and prices will rise, because peak demand does not mean a sharp drop afterwards. In fact, even if we have reached peak oil demand, the most likely next stage in demand evolution is a plateau at a level that would need to be maintained. OPEC would no doubt be happy to help do that.
Gulf Insider
10 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
France Will Recognize Palestinian State - US-Israeli Backlash Ensues
In what may prove to be a major milestone in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, France will recognize Palestine as an independent state at the September United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron announced late Thursday. While a majority of European countries and an overwhelming majority of the world's countries already recognize Palestine, France is significant in that it's a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and thus holds veto power. Fellow permanent members China and Russia recognize Palestine, while the UK and United States do not. 'Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,' Macron said in an announcement posted to X that included a letter from Macron to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He also reiterated his support for the 'demilitarization of Hamas,' and said Palestine must accept 'its demilitarization and fully recogniz[e] Israel.' However, his statement didn't convey that his September recognition would hinge on those factors. Macron's surprise announcement prompted immediate condemnation from Israel and the United States, starting withIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: 'We strongly condemn President Macron's decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.' Click here to read more…
Gulf Insider
21 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
US Raid Takes Out Senior ISIS Leader In Northern Syria
It's 2025, a 'former' emissary of the Islamic State's top leadership is now president of Syria – who happens to also be the founder of al Qaeda in Syria (al-Nusrah Front, since rebranded the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham/HTS) – and the United States is still claiming that its occupying forces are busy fighting ISIS across various parts of the country. US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday says a raid in the Aleppo region took out senior ISIS Leader Dhiya' Zawba Muslih al-Hardani and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons, Abdallah Dhiya al-Hardani and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba al-Hardani. It happened in the early morning hours in al-Bab, Aleppo Governate, as the ISIS individuals were described as posing a threat to 'US and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian Government.' The announcement also mentioned the presence of civilians at the location of the raid. The statement indicated that 'Three women and three children were also on the target and were unharmed.' Click here to read more.. .
