ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Iranian drone was brought down by the US military on Thursday after coming within 1,000 yards of a US Navy vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said.
“The (USS) Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone which had closed into a very, very near distance, approximately 1,000 yards,” Trump said, speaking at the White House.
“The drone was immediately destroyed.”
I want to apprise everyone of an incident in the Strait of Hormuz today, involving #USSBoxer, a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship. The BOXER took defensive action against an Iranian drone.... pic.twitter.com/Zql6nAUGxF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2019
“This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions by Iran, against vessels operating in international waters,” said Trump.
“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.
“I also call on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the Strait and to work with us in the future.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) shot down a US Navy Drone on June 20, claiming it had violated its airspace – claims the US denies.
In a statement on Thursday, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said: “At approximately 10 a.m. local time, the amphibious ship USS Boxer was in international waters conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. A fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range. The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.”
Tensions have been rising in the Persian Gulf for several weeks. A US aircraft carrier group was deployed to the region in May – one year after the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran.
Responding to the news, Iran's Foreign Minister Javid Zarif tweeted the word "reminder" next to a world map showing where the US and Iran are in relation to the strategic waterway.
Reminder pic.twitter.com/mOOt9sG3ir
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 18, 2019
Arriving at the UN headquarters on Thursday, Zarif told reporters: “We have no information about losing a drone today.”
In a tweet on Friday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi denied Iran had lost any drones, hinting the US may have shot down one of its own “by mistake”.
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 by mistake!
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 19, 2019
“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 by mistake!” Araghchi tweeted.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
