Intel: US drone shootdown sparks more Gulf tension
US President Donald Trump said today that the United States destroyed an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of an American vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Defense officials told CNN the drone was brought down today by electronic jamming.
US President Donald Trump said today that the United States destroyed an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of an American vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Defense officials told CNN the drone was brought down today by electronic jamming.
Why it matters: The incident marks another critical moment in the standoff between the United States and Iran in the Gulf over the past two months, including Iran’s shootdown of an American Global Hawk surveillance drone that nearly prompted a military response from the Trump administration.
Details: Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the USS Boxer was sailing in international waters “conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz” when it was approached by a fixed wing drone “within a threatening range.” The American amphibious assault ship “took defensive action,” he said. Hoffman said the Pentagon assessed the drone to be Iranian.
More sanctions: Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions today against Iran-backed factions of the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq and against Belgian and Chinese companies involved in Tehran’s uranium enrichment networks. “There should be no enrichment for Iran,” Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, tweeted. “Maximum pressure continues until Iran abandons its nuclear ambitions & malign activities.”
