US claims Iran downed drone in ‘unprovoked’ act as Tehran warns against crossing ‘red lines’

The US has confirmed that one of its reconnaissance drones was shot down by Iraniain air defenses, but has denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at the time.

A US Central Command (CENTCOM) statement acknowledged that one of its naval surveillance UAV’s was indeed hit on Wednesday night. Tehran said that the device had been spying over southern Iran at the time of the interception, but CENTCOM said this was “false.”

This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in international airspace.

It added that the RQ-4A Global Hawk’s mission was to provide surveillance over vast ocean and coastal regions.

Earlier, the head of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Iranian action had sent a “clear message” to Washington about its military posturing in the region. Iran also warned the US against crossing “a red line” and vowed to take all necessary steps to protect the country.

According to the IRGC, the drone was flying with its tracking equipment switched off at the time, violating international aviation regulations.

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