Navy shoots down Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON» A U.S. naval ship downed an Iranian drone that flew too close and ignored multiple calls to turn away, President Donald Trump said Thursday, as tension between the United States and Iran appeared to be rising again in the Persian Gulf region.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the drone came within 1,000 yards of the USS Boxer in the Strait of Hormuz before the crew “took defensive action” and “immediately destroyed” it.

“The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, our facilities and interests,

and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,” he said. “I also call on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the strait and to work with us in the future.”

Trump’s disclosure of the drone incident came hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard said it was responsible for seizing a tanker that was reported missing during the weekend in the strait, which controls access to the Persian Gulf and the oil that flows through it.

The tanker, based in the United Arab Emirates, and its 12-member crew were detained after they were found to be smuggling Iranian fuel, according to a statement by the Revolutionary Guard. The statement appeared to contradict an earlier claim by Iran’s Foreign Ministry that Iranian authorities had rescued the ship after it broke down.

Iranian officials did not immediately comment on the downed drone. The Fars News Agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard, noted Trump’s statement but offered no further remarks.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman confirmed the action, which he said was taken “to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.” U.S. defense officials declined to describe the incident further, aside from releasing a one-paragraph statement.

It was not clear whether the unmanned aircraft was armed, or how the Navy brought it down, but U.S. military officials have watched with concern as Iranian-backed Houthis have used “suicide drones” packed with explosives in other parts of the region.

A defense official told CNN that the drone was taken down with electronic jamming after it came within a threatening distance of the ship.

The downing of the drone follows a string of recent incidents, including attacks on tankers, that U.S. officials say are part of an Iranian effort to harm the United States and its allies.