Iran Navy plane was filming US carrier

Iran’s navy commander has confirmed the flight of an Iranian aircraft near a US warship in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

On Tuesday, CNN quoted a senior US military officer as saying that an F27 aircraft of the Iranian Navy flew as low as 300 feet near the USS Eisenhower on April 21.

“US warships tread the free waters of the Gulf of Oman and it is Iranian navy’s duty to conduct routine surveillance flights in the region,” Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the Iranian Navy commander, said in a Tuesday news conference.

“The F27 plane of the navy flew above this aircraft carrier and took a thorough film,” he added.

According to US military officials, the Eisenhower was on duty in the Gulf of Oman in the northern Arabian Sea when the Iranian maritime patrol aircraft flew within 1,000 yards (915 meters) of the vessel.

The Iranian aircraft was an unarmed Fokker F27 and remained in the vicinity of the Eisenhower for about 20 minutes before leaving the area, US army officials said.