Iran says it decoded data from CIA drone captured in 2011

This photo released on Dec. 8, 2011, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claims to show a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which Tehran says its forces downed earlier that week. / AP Photo/Sepahnews

Last Updated 9:32 a.m. ET

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Monday said it has decoded all of the data from an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year.

The Guard's aerospace chief, Gen. Ami Ali Hajizadeh, told state-run Press TV that that the RQ-170 Sentinel craft had not carried out missions over nuclear facilities before it went down in December 2011 near the eastern border with Afghanistan.

Tehran had previously said it recovered information from the top-secret stealth aircraft, but Monday's announcement suggests technicians may have broken encryptions.

"All data from the drone have been completely decoded. We know where it travelled step by step," Hajizadeh was quoted as saying. "After decoding, our experts discovered that this drone had not carried out even a single nuclear mission over Iran."

Hajizadeh said Iran had captured the drone and decoded its data without any assistance, including from its allies China and Russia. Iran has said it would reverse-engineer the drone and build its own version.

Last week, the Guard claimed it captured another U.S. drone after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf, showing an image of what it said was a Boeing-designed ScanEagle drone on state TV.

The Islamic Republic has been trumpeting its possession of the drones in an attempt to embarrass Washington over its alleged surveillance of Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Hajizadeh said Iran had previously acquired a ScanEagle drone and produced a copy of that, but did not provide evidence to back up the claim.

Last month, Tehran claimed that a U.S. drone violated its airspace. The Pentagon said an unmanned Predator aircraft came under fire at least twice while flying over international waters but was not hit.

[quincytodd]

If true, this could be great news indeed and let's all hope that it is! The more of these cursed aircraft to be captured, the better. In fact, the U.N. needs to pass an international law outlawing the use of these planes to hurl 500 lb. bombs on defenseless people as is currently being done in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen!

[lillyhorton]

All US drones are accounted for.

[quincytodd]

Gee Lillyhorton, you sound like another hick Tea Partier praising those clowns in the military. Are you one?

[AOCGUY]

Chuck766 replies: AOC

Don't you love the United States?

It's not an accident that so many people want to immigrate here.

Of course I love my country, served it in uniform for 28 years and 12 years later I'm still serving as a civilian. You just made some great big non-specific patitude and I asked you to be more specific. What exactly are we number 1 at?

[AOCGUY]

BTW I would hazard a guess that Brits, Canadians, French, even Iranians love their country. Nothing unique about that and we are not the only country people emigrate to and yes from. So again I ask what are we number one at besides bravado?

[AOCGUY]

hey legal, while I would agree that we are in the running I suspect Greece is in the lead for wasting money with Spain a close second.

I'm just a little weary of this cowboy mentality that somehow the US is "Number 1". I know we do somethings better than others but others do somethings better than we do. So how does one "score" this ranking?

[Ishmael_Jones]

Iran has decoded our cellphone technology! Oh what will we do?

[dubedoo]

And they will do WHAT with this "new" technology ????? How can a "cave man" do ANYTHING with "new" things. Let's wait UNTILL they figure out what "fire" is and then I can START worring. Untill then, move along, NOTHING to see here .......

[AOCGUY]

Persians had running water, literature, art, and science while europeans were still sleeping and crapping in caves. They may have some whacked out leadership but intellectually they are the equal of any nation on earth. Don't underestimate them - to do so would be at our peril.

[GossamerWings]

So very true AOCGUY. You got it right.

[Filmguy870]

"We decoded it. It says that we are screwed."