Media: Iran confirms successful drone mission amid US interception claims

An Iranian Armed Forces patrol and reconnaissance drone has completed its mission in international waters, Iranian sources said, amid reports that US forces had downed one such aircraft.

Speaking to Tasnim on February 3, a knowledgeable source addressed claims by a British media outlet that an Iranian drone had been targeted by a US aircraft near the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

The source said the Shahed-129 drone was carrying out a routine and lawful mission over international waters, stressing that it was involved in identification, surveillance and imaging activities and that the operation was normal and legally permitted in open seas.

According to the source, the drone successfully relayed its reconnaissance and surveillance images to the command centre but later lost communication. He added that the cause of the communication disruption is being investigated and that further information will be released once the issue is clarified.

The remarks followed a report by Reuters quoting the US military as saying it had shot down an Iranian drone that approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on February 3.

Earlier, on January 28, US President Donald Trump announced that a “massive armada,” led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and described as larger than the fleet deployed toward Venezuela, was heading toward Iran.

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US military action against Iran would not remain a bilateral confrontation and could escalate into a full-scale regional war.

By Jeyhun Aghazada