A news agency affiliated with Iran's top security body has reacted to a U.S. claim that Iranian forces attempted to seize an unmanned U.S. vessel in the Persian Gulf, saying it was done to "ensure the safety of shipping lanes".
In a statement on Wednesday, Nour News cited an unnamed senior military official as saying that the "illegal presence" of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf was a "source of insecurity" for the region.
The official said the "trend of unmanned foreign boats" sailing in the Gulf waters had increased recently, creating "problems for safe shipping" in the region.
The statement came in response to remarks made by Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to seize a Saildrone Explorer.
"The professionalism and competence of the crew of the USS Thunderbolt prevented Iran from this illegal action," he said. "This incident once again demonstrates Iran's continued destabilizing, illegal, and unprofessional activity in the Middle East."
On Tuesday, the CENTCOM said in a statement that its sailors from the 5th Fleet had noticed a ship operated by IRGC towing the unmanned Saildrone Explorer.
The Bahrain-based USS Thunderbolt, a patrol ship, and Sea Hawk helicopter quickly responded to the incident, it added, and kept IRGC personnel from seizing the vessel.
It termed the IRGC action as a "flagrant" and "unwarranted" attempt to seize the vessel.
Nour News, however, rejected the CENTCOM's version of events, saying the IRGC towed the U.S. vessel "intending to secure the shipping route" in the Persian Gulf.
"In recent weeks, a large number of American USV have been dispatched from Bahrain and outside the protocols related to the use of remotely piloted vessels, to international waters in the Persian Gulf and international shipping lanes, which has caused problems in shipping lines," it said in a statement.
The agency said that these vessels have become a source of "unpredictable maritime accidents", calling the latest incident "an epic story with a Hollywood format narrative and contrary to the truth".
The latest encounter has inflamed tensions between the two countries at a time when efforts are underway to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with the mediation of the European Union.
