Shiite News Monitoring Desk
Iran has also secured another moral victory over US by not targeting US miliary P8 aircraft that had 35 Americans on board despite violation of Iranian airspace.
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that his forces could have shot down the US P8 aircraft with 35 on board. But, he said, they decided to shoot down the drone only, to send a message to Washington.
“We intended to send a message to American terrorists in the region,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh said on Friday, adding that his forces had also traced a military P8 aircraft violating the airspace of Iran.
He said that P8 had 35 on board and we could have downed it too. “But, we did not do [shoot down] it, because our aim was to warn the terrorist forces of the US.”
The IRGC Aerospace Force shot down US spy drone over the territorial waters of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz Thursday.
The US confirmed one of its reconnaissance plane was shot down by Iraniain air defenses. But, it denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at the time.
On Thursday evening,Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected Washington’s claim of tageting aircraft in international waters.
He said that Iran has retrieved parts of the US Global Hawk from the country’s territorial waters.
“[The] US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode and violated Iranian airspace,” Zarif wrote on Twitter on Thursday night.
Most importantly, Iran will take this US new aggression to [the] UN and show that the US lying about international waters.
He wrote of US drone violated Iran’s airspace hence targeted near… Kouh-e Mobarak” region in the Central district of Jask in Hormuzgan province.
Zarif even provided the coordinates where Iran inercepted US aircraft. He said “We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it shot down.”
In an earlier tweet, Zarif stated that Iran “will take this US new aggression to [the] UN and show that the US is lying about international waters”.
The Iranin foreign minister noted that Tehran does not want war, “but will zealously defend our skies, land and waters”.
Commander of the IRGC Major General Hossein Salami stressed that the move should alert Washington officials to stay away.
He said Iran sent a clear message to the US and other enemies it will show a firm and crushing response to any aggression.
Salami vowed borders as red line. He further vowed any enemy which violates them will not go back home and to face annihilation.
Most importantly, the IRGC commander made clear to enemies to respect Iran’s territorial integrity and national interests.
Iran shot down US drone
