The robot aircraft was shot down by an Iranian missile on Thursday morning local time (1135 GMT on Wednesday), the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed, but said the Iranian reports that the drone was in its airspace were “false.”
“This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in international airspace,” said Captain Bill Urban, CENTCOM spokesman.
Asked if the US was considering a retaliatory strike, Trump told reporters at the White House, “You’ll soon find out.”
Q: Are you willing to go to war with Iran?@POTUS: "You'll find out."
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) June 20, 2019
I have a feeling… that it was a mistake made by somebody who shouldn’t have been doing what they did,” Trump said about the incident, speaking after a meeting with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
“I find it hard to believe that it was intentional,” he added. “It could have been somebody who was loose and stupid.”
John Bolton, Trump’s hawkish national security adviser who has pushed for a hard-line policy on Iran, is on his way to Israel to discuss “regional security” with US allies in the Middle East, the White House said.
John Bolton, Trump’s hawkish national security adviser who has pushed for a hard-line policy on Iran, is on his way to Israel to discuss “regional security” with US allies in the Middle East, the White House said.
Trump denied that members of his administration were pushing him towards war, saying that he wanted to end “endless wars” like Afghanistan and not get into new ones, just like he said during the 2016 campaign – but Iran shooting down the US drone is “a new wrinkle… a new fly in the ointment.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has accused the US of waging “economic terrorism” and covert action against his country, and now encroaching on its territory.
We don’t seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising for the past several months, with the US sending additional troops to the region and blaming Tehran for attacks on several oil tankers in international waters. Iran has rejected the accusations.
