India deploys destroyer, patrol vessel to Gulf of Oman

June 21 (UPI) -- The Indian Navy said Friday it has deployed two warships to the Gulf of Oman to protect the country's shipping vessels amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Indian Navy destroyer Chennai and patrol vessel Sunayna have been deployed to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman for maritime security as part of Operation Sankalp, it said in a statement.

Navy aircraft have also been dispatched to conduct aerial surveillance in the area, it said.

"The Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean region, which was launched by the [Indian Navy] in December 2018 at Gurugram, is also keeping a close watch on the movement of ships in the Gulf region," the navy said in a statement.

The decision comes after the Indian Directorate General of Shipping issued two advisories on June 13 and then on Sunday to all Indian ships operating in the area to take appropriate precautions.

On Thursday, Iran said it shot down a U.S. drone in its airspace, further escalating tensions in the region.

The United States said the drone was in international waters, which Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif countered by saying pieces of the drone had been retrieved from their side of international waters.

Tensions in the area have ratcheted up between the United States and Iran since two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13. The United States has blamed Iran for the attack. Iran has denied the allegations.

On Thursday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning barring U.S. airlines from flying through certain sections of Iranian airspace near the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.