Claims The Aircraft Was Violating Their Airspace, U.S. Disagrees

A U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk reconnaissance drone was shot down by Iran over the Strait of Hormuz late Wednesday (local time) in what the U.S. is calling an "unprovoked attack".

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that a U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance ISR aircraft, known as a BAMS-D, was shot down at approximately 7:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

"Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false," Capt. Bill Urban, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement. "This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace."

Fox news reports that, according to a military source, the drone was in international airspace about 17 miles from Iran. Iran, however, claims that the aircraft had violated its airspace. In a speech aired on Iranian state television, Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami said that Iran is "fully ready for war", but does not have any "intention for war with any country."

The Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the Global Hawk early Thursday morning using a truck-based missile system called Third of Khordad,  leading to some confusion about the timeline.

President Trump said on Twitter after the attack that Iran had made "a very big mistake".

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report