Iran flew a surveillance drone over a U.S. aircraft carrier and took photographs of it as part of a naval drill, Iranian state TV reported Friday.
The report, which did not name the vessel, said the incident happened on the third day of Iranian naval exercises. The channel's website and the semi-official Fars news agency published footage said to be of the drone's flight.
Fars said an Iranian submarine was also deployed near the U.S. vessel to gather intelligence and capture video of its movements.
"The Iranian submarine managed to take clear pictures of the aircraft carrier without catching the attention of the staff on board," the news agency reported.
Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, said an unarmed Iranian drone flew near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and directly over the USS Harry S. Truman on Jan. 12 in international waters in the Persian Gulf. He couldn't confirm whether it was the same incident.
He said the aircraft "posed no danger to the ship," but was "abnormal and unprofessional."
Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, the commander of Iran's navy, told state TV the drone's flight was "a sign of bravery" which "allowed our men to go so close to the warship and shoot such a beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign forces."
Iranian state TV also said Iran's navy successfully fired surface-to-surface Noor cruise missiles during the drill.
The reported drone flight is the latest incident between Iran and the U.S. in the Persian Gulf.
Last month, the U.S. accused Iran of carrying out rocket tests near American warships and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. In January, Iran captured and briefly held 10 U.S. Navy sailors who entered Iranian waters.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived back in Tehran on Friday from a five-day visit to Europe where billions of dollars worth of trade deals were signed between Iran and Italian and French companies.
It followed the lifting of many international economic sanctions on Jan. 16 after a landmark deal with the United States and five other world powers in July to curb Iran's nuclear program in return for an end to sanctions.
On Jan. 17, the U.S implemented sanctions against 11 people and companies involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, just one day after President Obama lifted sanctions based on the nuclear program.
Contributing: Associated Press
