Iran accused the U.S. of a media stunt after the American Navy's rescue of 13 Iranian fishermen held by pirates, saying it was staged like a 'Hollywood drama'.

American officials announced that the fishermen had been rescued by a Navy destroyer, more than 40 days after their boat was commandeered by suspected Somali pirates in the northern Arabian Sea.

The rescue came just days after Tehran warned the U.S. to keep the same group of warships out of the Persian Gulf in a reflection of Iran's fear that America could try to enforce an embargo against Iranian oil exports.

Gratitude: A crew member of the Iranian fishing boat seized by Somali pirates in the Arabian sea hugs one of his rescuers from the U.S. Navy

Iran's hard-line Fars news agency called the rescue operation a Hollywood dramatisation of a routine event.

The Fars report noted that attacks by Somali pirates in the region were common and Iran's navy has itself freed many mariners held by pirates in recent years without seeking to highly publicise it.

However on Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by state TV's Al-Alam Arabic channel: 'The rescue of Iranian sailors by American forces is considered a humanitarian gesture and we welcome this behavior.'

Amid escalating tension with Iran over its nuclear program, the Obama administration reveled in delivering the announcement and highlighted the fact that the rescuing ships were the same ones Iran's army chief had just said were no longer welcome in the Persian Gulf.

On a mission: USS Kidd responds to a distress call from the Iranian fishing vessel Al Molai off the coast of Somalia approximately 400 nautical miles north of the Seychelles

Fars reported: 'Basically, rescuing trading and fishing boats from the hands of pirates in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden is considered a completely normal issue.

'A U.S. helicopter filming the rescue operation from the first minute makes it look like a Hollywood drama with specific locations and actors. It shows the Americans tried to publicize it through the media and present the American warship as a savior.'

The semiofficial Fars news agency is considered close to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard military force.

Fars said in April that Iranian naval commandos had driven off pirates attempting to hijack a supertanker off Pakistan's southwestern coast.

'Iran's navy has rescued various foreign ships from the hands of pirates ... but never publicized that,' it said.

Drama on the high seas: American sailors respond to an emergency on an Iranian fishing vessel taken over by pirates

Naval forces from several countries patrol shipping lanes in the region in pursuit of Somali pirates. The pirates, who are after huge ransoms, have dramatically expanded their range in recent years and targeted some of the largest vessels to take to the seas, including oil supertankers.

The episode occurred after a week of tough talk from Iranian leaders, including the statement that American vessels were no longer welcome in the Gulf. Iran also warned it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a sixth of the world's oil flows to market.

The Iranian threats, which were brushed aside by the Obama administration, were in response to strong economic sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program. A week ago, President Obama signed into law new sanctions targeting Iran's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad.

At the same time, Iran has sought to project its naval power, carrying out ten days of military drills at sea near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard began new war games near the Afghan border, according to the Guard's website, sepahnews.com.

Mohammad Pakpoor, commander of the Guard's ground force, said the maneuvers began outside Khaf, an eastern town near the border. He said the war games were aimed at strengthening Iran's borders and increasing the combat readiness of the Guard's ground force.

Iran is also planning new military exercises near the Hormuz Strait next month.