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Iran shoots down US drone as missile strike in Saudi Arabia raises tensions Iran shoots down US drone as missile strike in Saudi Arabia raises tensions
(32 minutes later)
Iran has shot down a US drone in the strait of Hormuz, raising already heightened tensions in the region. Iran has shot down an unmanned US drone in the strait of Hormuz, accusing Washington of breaching Iran’s national sovereignty and trying to deepen tensions in the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they had shot down what they called a US “spy” drone they claimed was flying in in the country’s airspace. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they had used a surface to air missile to shoot down what they called a US “spy” drone they claimed was flying in the country’s airspace.
The US military confirmed that one of its drones had been taken down, but said it was in international airspace. The US military confirmed that one of its drones had been taken down, but said it was in international airspace. The official said the drone was a US navy MQ-4C Triton.
Last week the US military accused Iran of firing a missile at another drone that responded to the oil tanker attacks near the Gulf of Oman.Last week the US military accused Iran of firing a missile at another drone that responded to the oil tanker attacks near the Gulf of Oman.
Tensions in the Gulf have been heightened since 13 June, when the US accused Iran of attacking two tankers in the the Gulf of Oman with mines. The US military released footage it said showed the Iranian military removing an unexploded mine from the side of one of the tankers. Tensions in the Gulf have been heightened since 13 June, when the US accused Iran of attacking two tankers in the the Gulf of Oman with mines. The US military released footage it said showed the Iranian military removing an unexploded mine from the side of one of the tankers. There have also allegedly been Iranian inspired attacks on US oil and military assets in Iraq, and increasingly sophisticated drones being fired into Saudi Arabia by Houthi rebels.
The state news agency said the downed drone was an RQ-4 Global Hawk. “It was shot down when it entered Iran’s airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south,” the Guards’ website added. An unnamed US official told Reuters the drone was a US Navy MQ-4C Triton. The Iranian state news agency said the downed drone was an RQ-4 Global Hawk. “It was shot down when it entered Iran’s airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south,” the Revolutionary Guards’ website added.
A senior Iranian security official said on Wednesday Iran would “strongly respond” to any violation of its airspace. “Our airspace is our red line and Iran has always responded and will continue to respond strongly to any country that violates our airspace,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security council as saying. The secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council Ali Shamkhani had warned on Wednesday of Tehran’s harsh response to any intrusion into its airspace or maritime borders.
The shooting down on the drone came as US president Donald Trump was briefed on the details of a separate incident: a missile strike in Saudi Arabia that appeared to come from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Shamkhani emphasised that Iran robustly protects its aerial and maritime borders, describing its airspace as the country’s “red line”. “No matter whose plane trespasses into it (the airspace), we have always given and will give a harsh response to intruders.”
White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said on Wednesday in relation to the Saudi missile strike: “We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies.”
Saudi crown prince tells Iran: 'We won't hesitate to deal with any threat'Saudi crown prince tells Iran: 'We won't hesitate to deal with any threat'
Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, who ousted the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government in late 2014, have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past two weeks. He insisted Iran was the guarantor of security in the Gulf and strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia, Iran’s arch rival, has blamed Tehran for last week’s attack on two oil tankers. On 16 June Mohammed bin Salman vowed Saudi Arabia “won’t hesitate to deal with any threat” to the kingdom’s interests. Iran has denied any involvement. The chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, urged the Iranian government to file a complaint to the United Nations on the alleged US drone intrusion into its territory. He said: “US drone intrusion to the Iranian airspace is clear violation of the UN charter and national sovereignty of the country.”
Relations between Iran and the US have deteriorated since last year, when Trump announced the US would withdraw from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Iran recently has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 deal. Both Washington and Tehran insist they are intent on avoiding a war as tensions build over the consequences of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, but fears that an accidental chain of events will lead to escalation and finally a military confrontation are growing.
The shooting down of the drone came as the US president, Donald Trump, was briefed on the details of a separate incident: a further missile strike in Saudi Arabia that appeared to come from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said on Wednesday in relation to the Saudi missile strike: “We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies.”
Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, who ousted the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government in late 2014, have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi civilian, military and oil installations in the past two weeks. Saudi Arabia claims Iranian experts are advising the Houthis.
In recent weeks, the US has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and added additional troops to the tens of thousands already in the region.In recent weeks, the US has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and added additional troops to the tens of thousands already in the region.
Iran has set a deadline of 27 June by which it will breach limits on uranium stockpiles set out in the nuclear deal, a development likely to lead to renewed US demands that the EU states France, Germany and Britain join the US in pulling out of the deal. Iran says it is gradually suspending its adherence to the deal in response to the economic stranglehold being imposed on the country by US sanctions.
A meeting of the joint commission that oversees the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is due to meet on 28 June in Vienna – bringing together Iran, the three EU states, China, as well as Russia. The EU will urge Iran not to take further steps to pull out of the deal, and may put Iran’s actions into the JCPOA’s lengthy dispute mechanism.
IranIran
US military
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
Middle East and North AfricaMiddle East and North Africa
Donald TrumpDonald Trump
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