Tehran: Iran's Navy fired warning shots using missiles and drones toward US destroyers operating in the Sea of Oman, forcing them to withdraw from the area, according to an Iranian Army statement on Friday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the army's public relations office stated that the move was part of ongoing operations in response to what it described as US harassment at sea and the seizure of Iranian commercial and oil tankers. The Iranian naval forces fired warning shots using Qadir missiles and Shahed Danesh offensive drones toward the destroyers DDG-103 and DDG-87.

The Iranian army claimed that the US vessels subsequently left the Sea of Oman and headed toward the Indian Ocean. The statement further mentioned that the operation, along with similar actions in recent days, also compelled other US naval assets to leave the area. This included destroyers operating as part of the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group and the amphibious assault ship Tripoli.

Iran accused the US naval forces of disrupting maritime trade and security in the region. The targeted destroyers were serving as a command-and-control center for what Iran described as hostile US activities against its commercial shipping. The command center overseeing Iranian naval operations called on the US to halt what it described as maritime theft and hostile actions in regional waters.

The statement noted that although the US vessels had moved beyond the range of the missiles used in the warning operation, Iranian forces could employ longer-range weapons if necessary.