Iran Shot Down U.S. Drone to Disrupt Trade in Persian Gulf, Senior U.S. Military Official Says

Описание: A senior U.S. military official says Iran shot down an unmanned American aircraft over international waters in an attempt to disrupt U.S. efforts to monitor the Persian Gulf area.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella says the shooting down of the drone follows recent threats to international shipping commerce in the region that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.

The commander of U.S. Central Command air forces in the region disputed Iranian claims that the drone was over Iranian air space.

Guastella told reporters Thursday that the aircraft was at high altitude and at least 34 kilometers from Iranian territory when it was shot over the Gulf of Oman.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the U.S. cannot be “reckless” amid rising tensions with Iran.

Pelosi said Thursday she doesn’t think President Donald Trump wants to go to war. And she said the American people don’t want war either.

“There’s no appetite for going to war in our country,” she said.

The country needs to be “strong and strategic” about protecting its interests, Pelosi said, and “cannot be reckless.”

Pelosi called a caucus-wide meeting of Democrats for later Thursday on Iran. House and Senate leadership will also be briefed by administration officials.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been rising over the collapsing nuclear deal with world powers. On Thursday Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. surveillance drone.

President Donald Trump declared Thursday that “Iran made a very big mistake” in shooting down a U.S. drone.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the incident. She says the administration also will keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Trump made his comment on Twitter in midmorning.

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace. The U.S. military is calling the downing an “unprovoked attack” and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm

TICTOC ON SOCIAL:
Follow TicToc on Twitter:   / tictoc  
Like TicToc on Facebook:   / tictoc  
Follow TicToc on Instagram:   / tictoc  

Watch all of TicToc’s videos: https://www.tictoc.video/

Listen to TicToc’s podcast: https://apple.co/2D3Vta7
Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ

TicToc by Bloomberg is global news for the life you lead. We are a 24/7 news network that covers breaking news, politics, technology, business and entertainment stories from around the globe, supported by a network of Bloomberg’s 2,700 journalists across 120 countries.