Iranian Helicopters Are Less Than 25 Meters Away From US Warships, Pentagon: It's Dangerous And Could Lead To Miscalculations

United States warship USS Essex (LHD 2). (Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brett McMinoway)

JAKARTA - An Iranian Navy helicopter CLOSE within 25 yards or about 22.86 meters of the United States Warship USS Essex (LHD-2) while it was in the Gulf of Oman, the Pentagon confirmed Monday.

USS Essex is in the Persian Gulf after conducting training with the British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) in the Gulf of Oman on November 8, according to USNI News' Fleet and Marine Tracker.

The Iranian helicopter flew within 25 yards of the side of the USS Essex, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during a news conference Monday. The helicopter flew as low as 10 feet from the surface and circled the ship three times.

"It operates in an unsafe and unprofessional manner," Kirby said, quoted by USNI News November 16.

"This is dangerous because it can lead to miscalculations," said Kirby, as reported by Reuters.

There was no impact on the USS Essex's operations or its ability to sail, he continued, repeating that the helicopter was acting unprofessionally and dangerously.

Kirby did not elaborate on what actions the Essex crew took when pressured by journalists, though he said the naval warship was acting in accordance with international law. The Essex commander did what was best for the ship and crew, Kirby said.

#BREAKING @PentagonPresSec says Iranian helicopter approached USS Essex in Sea of Oman & operated in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner," flying approximately 25 yards off port side of Essex at one point as low as about 10 feet off surface of ocean & circled ship 3 times - VOA pic.twitter.com/qer7bvtCb0

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 15, 2021

"There are rules of engagement, which I'm not going to talk about from the podium, that our commanders have in place to deal with potential threats. And when you have another armed force, in this case, the Iranian Navy flying like this, you definitely run the risk of some kind of escalation and wrong calculations or on both sides here, and that doesn't help. This one ended peacefully but that doesn't mean it's safe and professional."

He further said questions should be directed to the Iranian government about using their pilots to fly so close to US warships.

The incident with the USS Essex came after the Vietnamese-flagged merchant tanker M/V Sothys left the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, after the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGCN) Navy took control of the ship in the Gulf of Oman on October 24.

The warships USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) and USS Michael P. Murphy (DDG-112) were investigating the alleged crime when they were approached by IRGCN, USNI News reported.

An Iranian state-sponsored news outlet reported the two ships had tried to detain the Sothys with the IRGCN forcing them to leave. Kirby denied the allegations during a news conference last week, but would not go into details.

To note, the USS Essex, amphibious carrier USS Portland (LPD-27), and amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) left San Diego on August 12 with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit departing.

Very Dangerous Low Level flight by Iranian Sea King Helicopter just Metres away from US Navy #LHD_2 #ESSEX Thus Humiliating her when passing by Strait of Hormuz. #IRAN pic.twitter.com/9GfZqQMObj

— InteliGirl (@girl_inteli) November 12, 2021