US drone was 'in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down,' says Iranian FM

Image
ANI Middle East
Last Updated : Jun 21 2019 | 2:45 AM IST

Outrightly dismissing US claims regarding the issue, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday said that parts of the downed US drone were retrieved from Iran's territorial waters "where it was shot down."

The already volatile US-Iran relationship has further aggravated after the downing of the US military drone by Iran on Thursday.

While Iran has claimed that the "intruding American spy drone" was shot as it was in their airspace, Washington has labelled it as "an unprovoked attack." They claim that the US drone was flying over international waters when it was attacked.

"At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode and violated Iranian airspace. It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25deg59'43"N 57deg02'25"E) near Kouh-e Mobarak," Zarif tweeted.

"We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down," he said while completely rejecting the US' statement.

US President Donald Trump showed restraint while talking about the issue on Thursday -- a move which has been appreciated by American observers.

"Probably Iran made a mistake. I would imagine it was a general or somebody who made a mistake in shooting that drone down," CNN quoted Trump as saying.

"I find it hard to believe it was intentional. I think it could've been somebody that was loose and stupid," he further said.

However, the President highlighted that the drone had "nobody in it," which has made a "big, big difference."

Trump maintained that the US drone was in international waters.

"Obviously, you know, we're not going to be talking too much about it. You'll find out. They made a very big mistake," he added while responding to whether the United States would retaliate by waging a war against Iran.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 21 2019 | 2:38 AM IST

Next Story