Iran said Thursday it had recovered parts of a US spy dronein its territorial waters, after downing the aircraft in a missile strike slammedby President Donald Trump as a “big mistake.”
Under pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident in thestrategic Strait of Hormuz, where a series of tanker attacks have sent tensionssoaring with Iran, Trump initially struck a combative tone.
“Iran made a very big mistake!” he tweeted inresponse to news Iran had shot down the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft —which the Pentagon says was above international waters at the time.
“This country will not stand for it, that I can tellyou,” he said later at the White House.
But as the overnight incident whipped up fears of openconflict between the United States and its declared foe Iran — sending crudeoil prices up more than six percent — Trump moved swiftly to dial backtensions.
“I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if youwant to know the truth,” Trump said. “I think that it could have beensomebody who was loose and stupid that did it.” The president’s mixedmessage left the world unsure what Washington’s next move would be.
“You will find out,” Trump said, when asked aboutpossible retaliation.
In Tehran, however, the message came loud and clear.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced lateThursday that parts of the drone had been recovered in Iranian territorialwaters, as Tehran moved to bring the incident before the United Nations.
“We don’t seek war, but will zealously defend ourskies, land & waters,” Zarif said.
The Pentagon denounced the “unprovoked attack,”claiming the navy drone was 34 kilometers (21 miles) from Iran when destroyedby a surface-to-air missile.
But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it broughtthe drone down as it was “violating Iranian air space” over thewaters of Hormozgan province.
Zarif provided coordinates to back the claim.”At 00:14US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranianairspace,” Zarif tweeted.
“It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates(25?59’43″N 57?02’25″E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.” “We’veretrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where itwas shot down.”
But the Pentagon published a map showing the flight path ofthe drone, which indicated it traveled outside of Iranian waters and included aphotograph showing it was at the coordinates (25?57’42″N 56?50’22″E)when it was downed.
In a letter to the UN Security Council and UNSecretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran protested against a “dangerousand provocative act by the U.S. military forces against the territorialintegrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The drone downing came as Iran was already accused byWashington of carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the congested Hormuz area.
Tehran denies involvement but has frequently threatened toblock the sea lanes used to ship much of the world’s oil exports.
The commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, SeanKido, said a mine allegedly used in one of the attacks matched Iranian weaponryand that incriminating fingerprints had also been collected.
Trump has repeatedly said he does not favor war with Iranunless it is to stop the country getting a nuclear weapon — something Iranianleaders insist they are not pursuing.
But Trump critics say his policy of “maximumpressure” — including crippling economic sanctions, abandonment of aninternational deal to regulate Iran’s nuclear activities, and deployment ofextra troops to the region — make war ever more likely.
A key Republican ally of Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham, saidthe president’s “options are running out.” Asked if he believed thecountries were nearing conflict, he replied: “I think anybody wouldbelieve that we’re one step closer.”
“They shot down an American asset well withininternational waters trying to assess the situation. What are you supposed todo?” One of Trump’s biggest opponents, the Democratic speaker of the Houseof Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, warned that “there’s no appetite forwanting to go to war in our country.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu blasted”Iranian aggression” and said “Israel stands by the UnitedStates.” But Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has close relationswith Iran’s leadership, said US military retaliation “would be a disasterfor the region.”
Trump’s arrival in the White House, alongside veteranMideast hawks like national security adviser John Bolton, has seen sharpdeterioration in relations with Tehran.
Trump began last May by abandoning — and effectivelywrecking — the 2015 international agreement on bringing Iran in from thediplomatic cold in exchange for verified controls on its nuclear industry.
That has prompted Iran to threaten it will stop observingrestrictions agreed to under the deal on enrichment of uranium.
The threat has been seen as an effort to pressure Europeangovernments that want to save the nuclear deal to push back against Washington.The US State Department called that “extortion.