The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and other warships crosses the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf on  Nov 26, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN - The Iranian Army has tracked and identified a US aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Aden and the Sea of Oman, the official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

"The intelligence systems of the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) tracked and identified the aircraft carrier through the exchange of information with the army's naval forces and thanks to their complete dominance over the Strait of Hormuz," it said.

The report cited high-ranking Iranian commanders and officials as saying that the US aircraft carrier's presence in the regional waters would not help improve security in the region, but provoke tension and insecurity.

Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Mehdi Farahi said the arrangements have been finalized for the delivery of a number of Russian military aircraft to Iran on Tuesday

Regional countries could ensure the region's security without foreigners' interference and the US presence was not needed, they said.

The US Central Command announced on Sunday that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and would patrol the strategic waterway "to ensure freedom of navigation." 

Military aircraft

Separately, Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Mehdi Farahi said the arrangements have been finalized for the delivery of a number of Russian military aircraft to Iran on Tuesday.

In an interview with the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Farahi confirmed the upcoming delivery of the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 jet trainers to the country's armed forces.

"The entry of the aircraft into the country has become certain and the process of receiving them is being gone through," Farahi said.

Shahriar Heidari, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said in January that the country would soon take delivery of a number of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.

Heidari noted that Iran had previously ordered fighter jets, and that other Russian weapons including defense systems, missile systems, and helicopters would arrive in the country in the near future.

Iran and Russia have recently expanded bilateral relations in different areas, including the defense sector.