Dropping US drone: Iran crisis enters stage of burning nerves

Ali Rajab

Between the military mobilization and international movements as well as confrontations in the Persian Gulf, the latest of which was the dropping of a US army drone by the Iranian defenses, the crisis of Tehran reaches the fire zone. This constitutes a threat of an imminent war depending on the launch of the first shot in the Gulf in the light of the burning nerves tests between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On Thursday, June 20, 2019, the Revolutionary Guard Air Defense announced that a US-trained Global Hawk spy plane had been shot down in the early hours of the day after penetrating Iran’s airspace in the area of ​​Koh Mubarak in the province of Hormuzgan in southeast Iran.

The commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hussein Salami, said that the downing of the American aircraft march carries a clear and assertive message that the defenders of the borders of Iran will have a firm and decisive responses in the face of any attack on this country.

“Our borders are a red line for us and any enemy that attacks these borders will not return. We declare that we do not intend to fight with any country, but we are fully prepared for the war and today’s incident is a clear indication of this accurate message,” he said.

“The atmosphere of Iran is a red line and it does not matter which country’s plane it is. We have always responded to the aggressor harshly,” said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani.

American confirmation

A US official confirmed that a US military plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, but said: “The aircraft was in international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The official told Reuters that the plane belongs to the US Navy, the MQ-4C Triton.

Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of the aircraft, said on its website: “This type of aircraft can fly for 24 hours continuously at a height of more than 10 miles and operate at an area of ​​8200 nautical miles.”

Stage of nerve burning

Observers believe that the crisis in Iran has entered the stage of nerve burning and is approaching the stage of military confrontation. Fears are increasing from a military confrontation after the plane dropped, attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week, and four other carriers off the coast of the UAE on May 12, near the Strait of Hormuz.

At the time, the Pentagon announced the deployment of 1,000 US troops in the Middle East including a battalion of Patriot missiles, marching aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft.

“The Pentagon is not seeking war with Iran, but it is ready to defend US forces and interests in the region,” a Pentagon spokeswoman said.