Iran Attacks U.S. Warship With Long-Range Cruise Missile (Videos)

File image.

Iran’s Army announced on July 17 that its naval forces had successfully targeted a United States “aggressor vessel” in the northern Indian Ocean using an anti-ship cruise missile as part of the 13th phase of “Operation Saegheh.”

The strike, according to a statement released by the army, was carried out earlier in the day as part of ongoing defense operations.

The statement said the strike was carried out in memory of the crew members killed aboard the “eternally heroic” Dena, which was sunk on 4 March by the U.S. Navy submarine USS Charlotte near the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

It said the missile launch caused panic among enemy forces, forcing the targeted vessel to retreat beyond the range of Iranian fire.

Video footage released by the army showed the launch of what appears to be an Abu Mahdi anti-ship cruise missile, which is reported to have a range up to 1,000 kilometers.

Separately, the IRGC Navy announced that a Thai-flagged commercial vessel had been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly attempting to transit the waterway without authorization.

The vessel was warned and blocked from passing through the strait before being targeted for failing to heed those warnings or obtain clearance, according to the Guards, which released footage showing an unidentified loitering munition impacting the vessel.

The reported strikes come against a backdrop of sharply rising tensions in the Persian Gulf. Earlier in the day, the IRGC Navy said all U.S. military movements and equipment in regional waters are under “full surveillance” by Iranian naval units, warning that American forces are drawing closer to what it called the “zero hour” of a potential Iranian operation.

“The movements and equipment belonging to the terrorist American army are being closely monitored by Iran’s naval units,” the Guards statement said, accompanying the release of an image purporting to show U.S. naval vessels under observation.

“The Americans are drawing closer every moment to the zero hour of the Iranian armed forces’ operation against CENTCOM naval units in the region’s waters,” the statement continued.

The IRGC did not disclose further details about the timing or nature of any planned operation, closing its warning to American forces with a single line: “Wait for it…”

A photo released by the Guards along with the statement showed what appears to be the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship.

Click to see full-size image.

The recent attacks by Iran came amid reports that the U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to expand military operations against the Islamic Republic.

The memorandum of understanding signed last month by the two sides to end the war appears to have collapsed, although this is yet to be officially announced.

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