Pentagon has released a video on June 20 showing a U.S. Navy drone falling into the water after it was shot Iran in what has been described as an “unprovoked attack.”
Iran defended its actions, saying that the drone was on a spy mission over its territory, but the Pentagon countered that the aircraft was in international airspace.
“This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time during its mission,” Guastella said in a statement. “This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce.”
Guastella added that at the time the aircraft was “operating at high-altitude approximately 34 kilometers [about 21.1 miles] from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast.”
About 15 hours the aircraft was shot down, President Donald Trump issued a statement saying, “Iran made a very big mistake!”
“I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down. I have a feeling it was a mistake made by somebody that shouldn’t have been doing what they did,” he added.
He warned that the United States “will not stand for it,” but also noted no American was hurt and characterized the incident as “a new wrinkle, a new fly in the ointment.”
“I find it hard to believe it was intentional if you want to know the truth,” he said. “I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid who did it.”
It’s not clear if the downing of the drone would prompt military repercussions from the United States. Both Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei previously said they don’t want war.
This incident follows the recent tension between the two countries after the United States accused Iran of the June 13 attacks of a pair of oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has presented video evidence that seemingly implicates Tehran in the attacks, while Iran has denied having any role.
