Iran Warns American Ships To Maintain Their Distance Carrier Nimitz Sent To Persian Gulf To Cut No Fly Violations

Even as a U.S. commander said Tuesday that violations of southern Iraq’s “no-fly” zone have ended since the aircraft carrier Nimitz reached the Persian Gulf this week, uneasy neighbor Iran warned American forces not to get too close to its navy.

An Iranian official said that Tehran had cautioned the U.S. destroyer Kinkaid and a reconnaissance plane to turn back to avoid interfering with planned exercises designed to showcase the Islamic Republic’s growing navy, including two new Russian-built submarines.

U.S. officials, however, could not confirm that any such incident took place Tuesday and said the Kinkaid had been docked in Bahrain since Monday afternoon. The tensions highlighted the ongoing delicate power balance in the Gulf, a crowded international waterway through which much of the world’s petroleum supply flows.

The arrival of the Nimitz coincided with Iran’s most extensive naval exercises in years - 10 days of war games covering a 15,000-square-mile area and involving more than 100 vessels.

Although U.S. and Iranian naval forces were in close proximity, both countries emphasized a mutual desire to avert any incidents.

The Nimitz commander, U.S. Rear Adm. John Nathman, told CNN on Tuesday that interactions between the U.S. and Iranian militaries were “professional and courteous.”

A few days earlier, Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani had said, “We don’t see any reason for friction.”

Nathman suggested that the arrival of the Nimitz has already had its intended effect over southern Iraq. “We’ve seen the activity in the ‘no-fly’ zone actually calm down in the last couple of days, which is, I think, significant because of our presence here,” he said.

The Nimitz, with its 75 aircraft and an accompaniment of six warships, reached the Gulf on Sunday, about two weeks ahead of schedule. President Clinton had ordered an accelerated deployment in response to violations of the “no-fly” zone in southern Iraq by both Iraqi and Iranian fighters.

The violations occurred Sept. 29 when Iranian jets attacked bases in southern Iraq that are used by Iranian dissidents to launch attacks against Iran. Iraqi fighter jets then scrambled in response.

U.S. officials viewed the Iraqi flights in particular a test of American resolve by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who has challenged the legality of “no-fly” zones in the north and south of his country.

Although Iraq was the main focus of the U.S. action, the accelerated U.S. deployment stirred uneasiness in Iran. The English-language Iran News said the United States is “making the situation alarming in the economically vital waterway.”