Italian Media: US Destroyer Was "Minutes Away from Being Destroyed"

Reference News Network reported on April 16 According to a report from the Iranian News Television website on April 12, an investigation by Iranian News Television found that the U.S. military attempted to send two destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz on the 11th. This move was originally a carefully planned publicity stunt to coincide with negotiations in Islamabad, but ultimately ended in failure.

The report stated that this investigation, based on information provided by senior sources, revealed that the U.S. initiated this failed publicity operation to influence the U.S.-Pakistan negotiations taking place in the capital of Pakistan. During the risky attempt to forcefully cross the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy destroyers were only minutes away from being completely destroyed.

The two U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers—USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and USS Frank Peterson (DDG 121)—attempted to traverse this strategic waterway but were intercepted by the Iranian Navy and forced to retreat.

The investigation by Iranian News Television pointed out that the U.S. action was extremely risky and could easily lead to a disaster for the United States and its military. Iranian cruise missiles had locked onto their targets, and attack drones had already been deployed, with the two destroyers only minutes away from being completely destroyed at that time.

When the two destroyers and their escort fleet reached the mouth of the Persian Gulf, Iranian cruise missiles immediately locked onto their targets and ordered them to turn back within 30 minutes, prompting the U.S. warships to withdraw.

The U.S. military attempted to use electronic warfare tactics to deceive the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, including shutting down the ships' positioning reporting systems. The investigation revealed that the U.S. also disguised the warships as merchant vessels belonging to Oman, falsely claiming they were conducting coastal navigation in the southern Oman Gulf.

The two destroyers also chose a route very close to the coast, passing through shallow waters, attempting to take advantage of a potential lapse in the Iranian military's readiness during the ceasefire period to riskily cross the waterway into the Persian Gulf through concealment and deception. However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy had already seen through their disguise and quickly took action.

The USS Frank Peterson initially attempted to continue its course but quickly realized it had been locked onto by cruise missile radar and was subsequently intercepted by Revolutionary Guard vessels.

Meanwhile, Islamic Revolutionary Guard drones arrived over the two destroyers. The USS Frank Peterson was then notified that it must turn back and leave the area within 30 minutes, or it would become a target for the Iranian armed forces.

After the ship insisted on continuing forward, Iran issued a final warning, at which point it was only minutes away from being destroyed. The investigation showed that communications records between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy operators and the U.S. destroyers indicated that the U.S. fully complied with the Revolutionary Guard's warning orders.

The investigation further disclosed that this failed operation was deliberately carried out during the ceasefire period, aimed at testing the readiness of the Iranian Navy. The U.S. also attempted to use this to exert influence on the negotiating representatives in Islamabad, as both sides were engaged in high-risk negotiations under the mediation of Pakistan at that time.

The negotiations, which lasted 21 hours and ended in the early hours of the 12th, ultimately achieved no breakthroughs. (Translated by Xu Yanhong)