TEHRAN – Iranian
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Friday that an unidentified
aircraft entered the airspace over Iranian territorial waters in the
Persian Gulf region and was forced to escape after Iranian armed forces
took “smart and firm” action.
Vahidi made the remarks in
response to the Pentagon which has said that Iranian fighters have
fired at a U.S. drone over the Persian Gulf.
The Pentagon
claimed on Thursday that Iranian warplanes fired at an unarmed U.S.
drone in international airspace last week but did not hit the aircraft,
according to Reuters.
According to the timeline provided by the
Pentagon, two Iranian Sukhoi SU-25 aircraft intercepted the American
drone on November 1 at about 4:50 a.m. EST (0850 GMT) as it conducted a
routine, but classified, surveillance mission over Persian Gulf waters
about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast.
Pentagon spokesman
George Little said the aircraft fired multiple rounds at the Predator
drone and followed it for at least several miles as it moved farther
away from Iranian airspace.
International airspace begins after 12 nautical miles and Little claimed the drone at no point entered Iranian airspace.
Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri also said on
Friday that Iranian armed forces will deal with any aircraft that
enters the country’s airspace.
Jazayeri said, “The defenders of
the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a firm response to any act of
aggression from air, land, and sea.”
http://www.tehrantimes.com
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