Navy blasts Iran as ‘unprofessional’ after US helicopter hit with lasers

The Navy criticized Iran as “unprofessional” after a U.S. helicopter was hit with lasers Wednesday.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) interacted in an unsafe and unprofessional manner with a U.S. AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), as the aircraft was conducting routine operations in the international airspace of the Arabian Gulf, Sept. 27,” said Cmdr. Rick Chernitzer, a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command spokesman, in a Thursday press release.

“The interaction took place at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time,” Chernitzer continued. “The aircraft is attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced), deployed aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), on a scheduled deployment to the Middle East Region.”

The helicopter hit comes after five American hostages were freed and arrived in the U.S. earlier this month. The Biden administration allowed for the transfer of $6 billion of Iranian funds frozen in a Qatari bank as part of the deal, which was criticized by some.

“I want to get these Americans home more than anybody,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said last month. “But we have to go in [with] eyes wide open. [The] $6 billion that now is going to go into Iran [will] prop up their proxy war, terror operations, and their nuclear bomb aspirations.”

President Biden also warned Americans of traveling to Iran in a statement about the hostages returning to the U.S.

“The U.S. State Department has a longstanding travel warning that states: ‘Do not travel to Iran due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens,’” Biden said. “All Americans should heed those words and have no expectation that their release can be secured if they do not.”