territorial

Iranian state media describe the confrontation as ‘tense’, while US military says the encounter was ‘professional’.

Iran has said it warned a United States Navy destroyer to change course as it approached Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, but the US has claimed the confrontation was “professional” and had “no impact” on its naval mission.

Iranian state media published video and images of Wednesday’s incident – the first direct encounter reported between Iranian and US forces since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June – taken from a helicopter dispatched to confront the USS Fitzgerald guided missile destroyer.

“US destroyer ‘Fitzgerald’ attempted to approach waters under Iran’s monitoring, in a provocative move”, Iranian state television said.

In video footage of the reported encounter, a helicopter is seen flying in close proximity to the warship and an Iranian crew member can be heard issuing what appeared to be a radio warning in English to the warship, ordering it to change course as it was approaching Iran’s territorial waters at about 10am local time (06:00 GMT).

Iranian state media have described the encounter as a tense exchange.

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

The US destroyer reportedly responded by threatening to target the Iranian aircraft if it did not leave. The vessel eventually departed the area upon continued warnings from the Iranian military.

US Central Command disputed the Iranian account of tension, calling the incident a “safe and professional interaction”.

Asked about the encounter, a US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity with the Reuters news agency, also downplayed its seriousness.

“This interaction had no impact to USS Fitzgerald’s mission, and any reports claiming otherwise are falsehoods and attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to spread misinformation,” the official said.

The official, who said the interaction took place entirely in international waters, identified the aircraft as an Iranian SH-3 “Sea King” helicopter.

The US military inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran last month when it bombed Iranian nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump hailed the strikes as a “spectacular” success that “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme.

But media reports in the US, citing intelligence assessments, suggest the campaign was only partially successful, with just one of the three Iranian nuclear sites – the Fordow facility – reportedly destroyed.

In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was committed to continuing its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, and that his country is prepared for any future war that Israel might wage against it.

He added that he was not optimistic about the ceasefire between the countries.

SEOUL, July 16 (UPI) — South Korea summoned a Japanese attache to protest a territorial claim over disputed islands that Tokyo made in an annual white paper, Seoul’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.

The islets, which are called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, are located in the East Sea between the two countries. South Korea has controlled the islands since 1952 with a coast guard contingent, but they have been at the center of a diplomatic dispute that goes back hundreds of years.

Tokyo’s latest annual defense white paper asserts that Dokdo and the Russian-controlled Kuril Islands are “inherent territories of Japan” and calls issues around them “unresolved.” It uses the Japanese names for both island groups, referring to the Kuril Islands as the Northern Territories and to Dokdo as Takeshima.

Defense Ministry director general for international policy Lee Gwang-seok summoned Japanese defense attache Inoue Hirofumi on Tuesday over the claims.

In the meeting, Lee “reaffirmed that Dokdo is [South Korea’s] inherent territory historically, geographically and under international law,” according to a ministry statement sent to reporters.

Lee added that South Korea would “respond resolutely to any attempt to infringe upon our sovereignty over Dokdo.”

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry also responded to the white paper on Tuesday by calling in the Japanese Embassy’s acting minister Yoshiyasu Iseki and urging Tokyo to withdraw its claims.

“The [South Korean] government strongly protests the Japanese government’s repeated unjust territorial claims to Dokdo, which is clearly our inherent territory in terms of history, geography and international law,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The government once again makes it clear that no claims by the Japanese government regarding Dokdo … have any influence on our sovereignty, and declares that it will respond resolutely to any provocations by Japan regarding Dokdo,” the statement said.

The dispute comes as historically frosty relations between Seoul and Tokyo have thawed in recent years, with improved diplomatic ties and closer trilateral security cooperation with Washington.

This year’s defense white paper includes language, introduced in last year’s edition, calling South Korea “an important neighboring country with which we should cooperate as a partner in responding to various challenges in the international community.”