An Iranian surface-to-air missile has shot down a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz — not over Iran’s airspace as state media had claimed, ABC News and Reuters reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials.
Details: AP reports Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said on state television the act was designed to send “a clear message” to the U.S. Iran does “not have any intention for war with any country, but we are ready for war,” he said, according to AP. The drone was not armed when it was shot outside Iranian airspace, ABC News reports.
What they’re saying: Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported earlier the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down an “American spy drone” outside Iranian airspace, which it identified as RQ-4 Global Hawk. But a U.S. Central Command spokesman told AP, “There was no drone over Iranian territory.”
The big picture: The incident comes amid escalating tension between Iran and the U.S., which announced this week it’s sending an extra 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to “hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups” that threaten U.S. “personnel and interests.”
Without new talks, U.S.–Iran tensions continue to escalateThis is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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