US warship destroyed drone, says Trump
AN Iranian drone that flew too close to a US warship has been destroyed, Donald Trump revealed amid ongoing tension in the Gulf.
The American President said USS Boxer brought down the drone, which had “buzzed” the amphibious assault ship in the Strait of Hormuz – the narrow entrance to the Gulf between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
He said: “The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew.”
The president added Iran’s drone “was immediately destroyed”. He described the incident as “the latest of many provocative and hostile actions against vessels operating in international waters”.
The US Navy refused to reveal how the Boxer destroyed the drone but one source said it used electronic weapons to jam and bring it down. But in a war of words Iran denied losing a drone, and claimed the Americans might have shot down their own unmanned aircraft. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on Twitter: “We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS [unmanned aerial system] by mistake.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi who said: “Contrary to the false claim rooted in Trump’s illusions, all Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz… have returned safely to their bases after completing their scheduled reconnaissance and patrol missions.”
The row over the drone is the latest between Iran and the US and its allies, including the UK.
Tensions have been rising since Mr Trump pulled the US out of an international deal designed to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, and then imposed tough sanctions on Tehran.
In recent weeks, Mr Trump has accused Iran of carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf as well as shooting down a US Navy drone in international airspace last month.
The president went on to order a retaliatory strike on three sites in Iran – only to call it off at the last moment.