US denies Iran claim of forcing submarine to surface in Gulf

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Thursday said its navy forced a United States submarine approaching the Strait of Hormuz to surface and not re-submerge as it crossed the Persian Gulf. The US navy denied the incident took place.

"The submarine, using all its modern-day capabilities, was doing its best to pass the Strait of Hormuz in total silence when it was detected by [an Iranian] Fateh submarine," Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television, adding that the Iranian vessel forced the Americans to traverse the strait on the surface.

Irani called on the US to abide by international regulations and refrain from violating Iran's border.

The Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet called Tehran's claim "absolutely false."

"A U.S. submarine has NOT transited the Strait of Hormuz recently. The claim represents more Iranian disinformation that destabilizes the region," the fleet said on Twitter. "U.S. 5th Fleet continues to operate wherever international law allows."

Altercations between Iranian and American forces in and around the Persian Gulf area are common where the US navy has intercepted and seized what it says are Iranian supplies destined for Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In January 2022, the US seized a "stateless" vessel transiting from Iran in the Gulf of Oman carrying explosive materials. The ship was stopped along a route infamously used to smuggle weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In December, Iran's navy briefly seized two US navy drone vessels in the Red Sea before releasing them the following day.

American and Iranian warships in the Persian Gulf had a tense encounter in April 2021, when an Iranian ship cut in front of the American ship, causing the vessel to stop abruptly.