IRGC intercepts US warship in Gulf waters, forces it to change course

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
28 Nov 2023 00:01
3 Shares

The IRGC Navy commander says Iranian maritime forces dispatched drones toward the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and forced it to land its helicopters before changing its course.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier after entering the Gulf waters crossing through the Hormuz Strait, picture released on November 26, 2023 (UC CENTCOM)

A US aircraft carrier that entered Gulf waters was forced to change its course and land its helicopters after receiving a direct warning from Iranian naval forces, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy in Iran General Alireza Tangsiri said on Monday.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Monday that the US strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the waters of the Gulf.

CENTCOM added that the strike group would carry out patrols to "ensure freedom of navigation" along key international waterways, as well as support "CENTCOM requirements throughout the region."

Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri revealed that the navy dispatched drones to the American warship when it encountered the military vessels of the IRGC, forcing the US vessel to head toward the south of the Gulf "in compliance with our instructions" after forcing it to land its helicopters.

He emphasized that the United States is well aware that the Iranian forces closely monitor the movements of its forces in the Gulf and have control over the region. Tangsiri asserted that the IRGC Navy could easily target the American aircraft carrier using missiles and drones.

Legitimate targets for the Resistance

In late October, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to the Gulf and deployed additional air defenses throughout the region as it anticipated a continued escalation of attacks against American forces in the region amid the Israeli war on Gaza.

Additionally, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group was deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean to serve as a deterrent to any third parties that might consider joining the conflict against "Israel", the Pentagon said earlier.

Operations against US occupation military bases in Iraq and Syria reached 74 as of November 24 since October 17, carried out by Resistance groups, most notably the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, in response to the Israeli aggression on Gaza and in support of the Strip.

The Islamic Resistance made it clear that the US unconditional support for the occupation entity has made it a legitimate target until the war on Gaza stops.