United States President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that the US Navy had downed an Iranian drone after it carried out an “provocative and hostile action,” but Iran denied the incident on Friday.
Trump said the drone was downed after it flew within 1,000 yards of a US warship in the Gulf, but according to an Iranian military spokesman, “all drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz … returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control.”
US-Iran relations have been deteriorating ever since the United States pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year. In recent months, tensions have escalated. Last month, Iran shot down a US military “spy” drone that it claimed had been flying over its southern territory near the Gulf. The US confirmed the downing of the drone, but said it had happened in international air space over the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more: Iran dismisses Trump report that US Navy downed ‘provocative’ drone
