U.S. blasts Iranian drone in strait

President Trump said an American warship shot down an Iranian drone on Thursday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where tensions between the two nations have escalated in recent weeks.

Speaking at an unrelated event in the East Room of the White House, Trump said the Boxer downed the “provocative and hostile” drone in self-defense after it ignored multiple calls to turn around upon coming within 1,000 yards.

“The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempt to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,” Trump said.

The Pentagon said the strike occurred at 10 a.m. local time while the Boxer was en route to enter the Persian Gulf.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a majority of the world’s oil exports flow, has been the site of several confrontations between Iranian and American forces in recent weeks.

Iran shot down a U.S. drone on June 20, prompting Trump to order a retaliatory military strike and then stunningly reversing it at the last minute after finding out it would cause dozens of civilian casualties.

Prior to that strike, U.S. blamed Iran for attacks on a couple of oil tankers traveling through the strait.

Speaking at the United Nations on Thursday, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the U.S. and his country were “a few minutes away from a war” after the downing of the American drone last month.

Tensions in the region have intensified since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era nuclear deal last year.