Iranian sailors helped scare off armed pirates who attacked an American cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman , Iranian state media reported Thursday . Iran detains 13 alleged pirates after clash . It 's the latest example of U.S.-Iranian cooperation on pirate-infested high seas despite a wave of tensions between Washington and Tehran over the decades . EU forces attack pirate targets on Somali shore . The incident occurred northeast of Fujairah , a port for refueling oil tankers , the Fars News Agency said . The port , in the United Arab Emirates , is close to the Strait of Hormuz , an important oil shipping lane . Iranian navy vessels received a distress signal from the U.S. cargo ship Maersk Texas during patrols . The forces announced their willingness to help . As they closed in on the American cargo ship , the pirates scattered . The U.S. ship crew thanked the Iranian naval force and continued on its way , state media reported . `` We were aware of the incident yesterday , '' a State Department official said . `` The situation was successfully deescalated by the ship 's crew and the Iranian crew . '' The United States , Iran and other nations have been intent on repelling pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and other bodies of water . Pirate attacks down off Somalia , up off Nigeria . American forces assisted or rescued Iranians at sea several times in January . U.S. sailors aboard a guided-missile destroyer aided the crew of a sinking Iranian fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea . The U.S. Coast Guard rescued six Iranian mariners at the northern end of the Persian Gulf , the Pentagon said . And the destroyer USS Kidd rescued 13 Iranian sailors from a hijacked fishing boat near the Strait of Hormuz . Tehran has threatened to close the the strait if sanctions are imposed on its exports of crude oil . The West has been using sanctions and diplomacy to try to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons .
U.S. State Department said both crews successfully handled the incident . American sailors have attacked Iranians at sea in the past . The incident occurred close to the Strait of Gibraltar . Piracy is a major problem for international shippers .