Iranian jet shoots at U.S. drone over Persian Gulf
An Iranian jet shot at a U.S. predator drone last week over the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the drone was not downed and was over international waters. The incident was first reported by CNN.
Little said the drone was performing "routine surveillance" and was about 16 miles off the Iranian coast when an Iranian SU-25 warplane intercepted it and opened fire. He said it was the first time an unmanned U.S. aircraft was shot at in international airspace over the Gulf, and would not say which branch of the military the drone belonged to.
Little said the U.S. informed the Iranians that it would continue to conduct such surveillance flights in international airspace.
The drone's still and video cameras allegedly captured the Nov. 1 incident, CNN reports.
The Iranian jet was part of the infamous Revolutionary Guard, which is generally seen as more aggressive than the regular Iranian military, CNN reports.
In December of last year, a surveillance drone went down in eastern Iran near the Afghan border. Iranian officials insisted they brought the drone down with a cyberattack, while U.S. officials have neither confirmed nor denied the claim.
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Since the start of tensions between Iran and the West over the former's nuclear program, Iran has been very protective of the Persian Gulf, a crucial body of water for the world's oil shipping routes. In January, Iranian leaders "warned" the U.S. not to send military ships there, a threat the U.S. has ignored.
Reports on the mid-air confrontation come just as Iran's official news agency says the country's military will hold "massive" air defense maneuvers in the east, starting this weekend.
Gen. Farzad Esmaili, head of Iran's air defense headquarters, says the drill will include Iranian jet fighters, drones, air defense systems and about 8,000 troops.
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Are you so slow you can't keep Abrest of things like this?
Or is it you just want to start Trouble for Obama?
Or do you hate the fact a Black American is President?
Or are you just against the Democrats Remember Kennedy one of the Bedt Presidents we have ever had in our life time was a Democrate!
Are you so slow you can't keep Abrest of things like this?
Or is it you just want to start Trouble for Obama?
Or do you hate the fact a Black American is President?
Or are you just against the Democrats Remember Kennedy one of the Bedt Presidents we have ever had in our life time was a Democrate!
If the "unarmed drone" had fired back and had shot down an Iranian aircraft over Iranian territory, the Iranians would have been within their absolute right to consider it an act of war and respond accordingly.
Yes, the US military is very capable of killing MANY Iranians. But the Iranians are also very capable of killing many of us.
Please check your ego at the door friend, Iran is a sovereign nation acting exactly as we would in the same scenario.
Another thing: do you think that the US should be the most powerful military force in the world, or not? Americans take for granted the commerce from oil and the routes needed to keep all our worldwide manufacturing of cars, electronics factories, and food products flowing so that our consumer economy is maintained. It is impractical to think that we would give up everything we have, so that our "public image" by the rest of the world is "nice". It ain't going to happen, and if it was another country more powerful protecting their stream of oil, we'd be mad as hell too. But we happen to have the capability to command the waters, the air, and SPACE.
Would you rather be in another country? I would not. It sucks being the top dog sometimes, but it is better than being angrily impoverished. This is why people emigrate here...we make our freedom happen. Is it fair? History shows us that there is always some regime more powerful than any other in its time. Right now that is the USA and its allies.
I am not a Republican wacko or Democrat kumbaya guy either; just a realist. I wish everybody in the world was prosperous like the USA, but that is a dream.
You can always tell the writers with no military experience or common sense. As a soldier who has participated in murder on behalf of my fellow US citizens, I can assure you that brave machismo last but a few fleeting moments while murder and consequences last forever.
Carry on!!