IRGC Issues Warnings to US Warships in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
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IRGC Issues Warnings to US Warships in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)
An Iranian vessel approaches a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz. (Tasnim)

Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that his forces issued a warning to an American warship in the Strait of Hormuz, said IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

IRGC released footage of the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall that traveled through the Strait of Hormuz, last Saturday.

The American forces didn’t comment on the matter.

Tasnim quoted Tangsiri as saying that during monitoring the American warship, a US helicopter took off from the vessel's flying deck but was forced to land shortly after warnings from the watch tower in the Strait of Hormuz, and the presence of the ‘Revolutionary Guard’ naval boats.

He added it was the first entry by the Americans into the waters off the southern coasts of Iran since 2021, stressing that Iran and the neighboring countries in the Gulf can ensure security in the regional waters and there is no need for foreigners' presence.

Tangsiri said the IRGC Navy’s success in monitoring the maritime movements in the Persian Gulf and its vigilance in the face of threats, particularly from the warships of extra-regional countries, proved that the Iranian forces would never allow enemies to undermine the security of the Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Last week, Western naval forces operating in the Gulf warned ships sailing in the strategic Strait of Hormuz against approaching Iranian waters to avoid the risk of seizure.

The warnings issued on Saturday and Sunday follow a week that saw the United States boost its military presence in the region and an agreement between Washington and Tehran that has raised hopes of reducing tensions between the adversaries.

In April and May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters.

A few days earlier, Washington announced the arrival of more than 3,000 US Marines and sailors to the Middle East on board warships as part of a plan to boost the military presence in the region, which it confirmed aims to deter Iran from seizing ships and oil tankers.



Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala Released from Iran and Returning Home

This photograph taken in Pordenone on September 16, 2023, shows Italian journalist Cecilia Sala posing for a photo at the Pordenonelegge Literature Festival in Pordenone. (ANSA/AFP)
This photograph taken in Pordenone on September 16, 2023, shows Italian journalist Cecilia Sala posing for a photo at the Pordenonelegge Literature Festival in Pordenone. (ANSA/AFP)
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Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala Released from Iran and Returning Home

This photograph taken in Pordenone on September 16, 2023, shows Italian journalist Cecilia Sala posing for a photo at the Pordenonelegge Literature Festival in Pordenone. (ANSA/AFP)
This photograph taken in Pordenone on September 16, 2023, shows Italian journalist Cecilia Sala posing for a photo at the Pordenonelegge Literature Festival in Pordenone. (ANSA/AFP)

An Italian journalist detained in Iran since Dec. 19 and whose fate became intertwined with that of an Iranian engineer wanted by the United States was freed Wednesday and is heading home, Italian officials announced.

A plane carrying Cecilia Sala took off from Tehran after “intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence channels,” Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office said, adding that Meloni had informed Sala's parents of the news.

There was no immediate word from the Iranian government on the journalist’s release.

Sala, a 29-year-old reporter for the Il Foglio daily, was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19, three days after she arrived on a journalist visa. She was accused of violating the laws of the country, the official IRNA news agency said.

Italian commentators had speculated that Iran was holding Sala as a bargaining chip to ensure the release of Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa airport three days before on Dec. 16, on a US warrant.

The US Justice Department accused him and another Iranian of supplying the drone technology to Iran that was used in a January 2024 attack on a US outpost near the Syrian-Jordanian border that killed three American troops.

He remains in detention in Italy.