Iran downs U.S. drone in eastern Iran: report

Citing an anonymous military source, Iran's Arabic-language al- Alam TV network said a U.S. reconnaissance drone aircraft has been shot down in eastern Iran.

Meanwhile, the local Fars news agency reported that a RQ-170 U. S. spy drone which had transgressed Iran's eastern borders was detected and downed.

The RQ-170 drone is an unmanned aircraft which has been used for reconnaissance and surveillance by the United States in Afghanistan.

The drone suffered a slight damage and is now at the hands of the Iranian military, Fars report said without mentioning the time of the incident.

"Due to the obvious violations of Iran's borders, the operational and electronic measures of the Iranian military against the transgressing drones will not be limited to the country's borders," the source was quoted as saying, implying that the Islamic Republic will target such drones even from outside of the country's space.

However, no official confirmation is currently available. In July, Iranian media reported similar incident, but it turned out to be a false one.

In January, Iran claimed that it had shot down the U.S., UK and Israeli drones in Persian Gulf several times during the past years.

Iran's reports of the U.S. drone shot-down came amid the increasing tension between Iran and the West over its controversial nuclear program.

 

Xinhua