Iran says its navy forces U.S. submarine to surface as it enters the Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's navy forced a U.S. submarine to surface as it entered the Gulf, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday.

"The U.S. submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... manoeuvres to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned," Irani said.

The U.S. Navy said last week the nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was operating in the Middle East in support of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Mark Potter)