The event marks the first reported interaction between Iranian and U.S. forces since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, during which U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Defense official disputes Iranian report of encounter with US warship
The
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Fitzgerald, seen here
during RIMPAC 2024, had a “safe and professional interaction” with
Iranian naval forces on Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said. (MC2
Terrin Hartman/U.S. Navy)
A
U.S. Navy warship had a “safe and professional interaction” with
Iranian naval forces on Wednesday, disputing claims in an Iranian state
media report, according to a U.S. defense official.
“At
10:50 a.m. [Wednesday], USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) had a safe and
professional interaction with an Iranian SH-3 ‘Sea King’ helicopter
while operating in international waters,” the defense official said in
an emailed statement.
Iranian state TV
reported Wednesday that an Iranian navy helicopter confronted a U.S.
warship attempting to approach Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of
Oman, according to The Associated Press.
The event marks the first reported interaction between Iranian and U.S. forces since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, during which U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities.
About Riley CederRiley
Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news,
criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an
investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he
contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
Iran deployed a naval helicopter to warn
off a US Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Oman, the country’s state media
reported, in a clash Tehran affirmed that it forced the American vessel
to retreat.
The confrontation took place at around 10 a.m. local
time on Wednesday, July 23, Tasnim reported, and involved the USS
Fitzgerald.
The report claimed that the destroyer threatened to
target the Iranian helicopter unless it left the area. But the
helicopter pilot persisted, Tasnim said, and the USS Fitzgerald
ultimately changed course.
The
direct clash between the Iranian and American armed forces comes amid
rising tensions in the region due to the escalating Israeli threats to
resume the aggression on Iran.
Source: Al-Manar English Website and other websites
An Iranian navy helicopter confronted a US destroyer in the
Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, marking the first direct encounter between
Iranian and American forces since their 12-day war in June, according
to Al Jazeera's coverage of the incident.
The confrontation occurred when the USS Fitzgerald guided missile destroyer approached waters that Iran
considers under its monitoring.
Iranian state television reported that
the helicopter flew in close proximity to the warship around 10 a.m.
local time, with crew members issuing radio warnings in English ordering
the vessel to change course.
The Iranian media
described the exchange as tense, with the US destroyer reportedly
threatening to target the Iranian aircraft if it did not leave the area.
Al Jazeera noted that Iranian state media published video footage showing the helicopter flying directly over the American warship during what they called a provocative move by the US vessel.
The
incident involved an Iranian SH-3 Sea King helicopter that was
dispatched to intercept the USS Fitzgerald as it approached Iranian
territorial waters, as detailed in AP News
reports on the confrontation. The American warship was operating in the
region when Iranian forces detected its approach and sent the
helicopter to investigate.
AP News explained that during the tense
exchange, the US vessel responded to Iranian warnings by threatening to
target the aircraft if it remained in the area.
Iranian
air defense forces then announced that the helicopter was under full
protection of Iran's integrated air defense system.
The news agency
reported that the USS Fitzgerald eventually retreated southward after
the warnings, though it remained unclear exactly how close the warship
had come to Iranian territorial waters. This encounter represents the
first direct military interaction between the two nations since recent conflicts in the region.
US defense officials strongly disputed Iran's version of events, with Fox News
reporting that American military sources called the encounter safe and
professional rather than confrontational. The defense official
emphasized that the USS Fitzgerald was operating in international waters
off the Gulf of Oman throughout the entire incident, contradicting
Iranian claims about territorial water violations.
Fox
News coverage highlighted that US Central Command maintained the
interaction had no impact on the destroyer's mission and dismissed
Iranian reports as misinformation spread by the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps. The American military stated it would continue to operate
safely and professionally, according to international norms and customs.
BEA Announcement: Changes to the Activities of U.S. MNEs News Release and Related Data Tables
SUITLAND,
Md. – The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ ongoing modernization and
streamlining of news release packages will include changes in the
presentation of tables in the August 22 release, "Activities of U.S.
Multinational Enterprises, 2023."
However, tables will no longer be included in the body of the news release.
This
will reduce duplication, increase efficiency, and point data users
directly to our most complete and flexible data tables, via links in the
release. These customizable tables include full time series and can be
downloaded as PDFs, in Excel, or in CSV format.
Additionally, some data tables previously produced alongside the news release
will be discontinued on August 22. BEA is discontinuing annual
statistics on foreign affiliates with 50 percent or less U.S. ownership.
BEA plans to publish these statistics in benchmark publications,
(occurring every five years), beginning in 2027. BEA will also
discontinue two tables that provide supplemental industry statistics.
Activities of U.S. Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)
Activities of U.S. Multinational Enterprises, 2022
Worldwide employment by U.S. multinational enterprises
increased 2.2 percent to 44.3 million workers in 2022 (preliminary) from
43.3 million workers in 2021 (revised), according to statistics
released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on the operations
and finances of U.S. parent companies and their foreign affiliates.
What are Activities of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)?
BEA's
statistics on the worldwide activities of U.S. multinational
enterprises offer details on the finances and operations of U.S.
multinational enterprises, including their employment and compensation,
sales, value added, capital expenditures, trade in goods, and
expenditures for research and development.
Selected
annual data tables on the activities of U.S. multinational enterprises
will be discontinued or impacted on August 22, 2025, beginning with the
2023 preliminary data. Discontinued tables will be archived.
Selected
annual detail tables on U.S. direct investment abroad and foreign
direct investment in the United States were discontinued July 22, 2025. Discontinued tables have been archived.
Data
tables on sales, net income, and balance sheets of new foreign direct
investment in the United States were discontinued July 11, 2025. Discontinued tables have been archived.
July 22, 2025 Balance of
payments and direct investment position data for U.S. direct investment
abroad and foreign direct investment in the United States have been
updated to reflect revised estimates for 2022-2023 and preliminary
estimates for 2024.
July 11, 2025Data on new
foreign direct investment in the United States has been updated to
reflect revised data for 2023 and preliminary data for 2024.
November 15, 2024Data on
the activities of U.S. affiliates of foreign MNEs have been updated to
reflect revised estimates for 2021 and preliminary estimates for 2022.
August 23, 2024 Data on
the activities of foreign affiliates of U.S. MNEs and U.S. parent
companies have been updated to reflect revised estimates for 2021 and
preliminary estimates for 2022.
BEA has adopted the use of standard international terminology
in BEA's international economic accounts by replacing the term
"multinational companies" with "multinational enterprises" and the term
"financial and operating (F&O)" statistics with "activities of
multinational enterprises (AMNE)." This change in terminology reflects
BEA's effort to conform more closely with international guidelines and
does not affect the actual statistics produced.