Iran Denies US Destruction of Its Drone

EghtesadOnline: Iran rejected US President Donald Trump's claim about the downing of an Iranian drone by an American naval ship on Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz.

News ID: ۷۴۷۹۱۸

20 July 2019

"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz, nor anywhere else," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on his Twitter account.

During an event at the White House, Trump asserted, "The [USS] Boxer [an amphibious assault ship] took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a very, very near distance, approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down and was threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew," NBC News reported.

He added that the drone was immediately destroyed, according to Financial Tribune.

The Pentagon, in a statement issued after the president spoke, said, "A fixed wing unmanned aerial system 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."

It did not mention the drone's ownership.

"I am afraid USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS by mistake!" Araqchi also said in his tweet.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Armed Forces, also dismissed the claim, saying that "All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control."

"There is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer," he was quoted as saying by ISNA.