US Navy Shoots Down Iranian Drone Near Strait of Hormuz
 

US Navy Shoots Down Iranian Drone Near Strait of Hormuz
BY: JACK PHILLIPS - The Epoch Times - Updated: July 18, 2019
RE: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-nav...s_3007985.html

Photo link: https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets...an-600x398.jpg
The USS Boxer in a file phone (US Navy)

The U.S. Navy shot down an Iranian drone near the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.

“The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1,000 yards.
The incident in the strait (on July the 18th) that lies between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.

“This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions by Iran against vessels operating in international waters.

The United States, he explained, has “the right to defend our personnel, our facilities and interest and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”

Earlier on Thursday, the United States condemned Iran’s seizure of a foreign tanker after Tehran made the announcement. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces said it had seized the oil tanker after accusing 12 crew members of smuggling oil, according to state-run media outlets.

While Iran didn’t mention the tanker, the UAE-based, Panamanian-flagged tanker Riah made trips from Dubai and Sharjah along the UAE’s coast before it went through the Strait of Hormuz and drifted into Iranian waters, reported The Associated Press.

“We live in a very dangerous environment. The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, according to Haaretz.

It also comes days after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said his regime would lash out after an Iranian tanker was seized near Gibraltar with the aid of the United Kingdom, as the Guardian noted.

Iran and “its committed forces will not leave this evil without a response,” he said.

According to Reuters, Khamenei on July 16 blasted the United Kingdom for its role in the tanker seizure.

“Evil Britain commits piracy and steals our ship … and gives it a legal appearance. Iran and those who believe in our system will not leave such evil deeds unanswered,” Khamenei said in remarks broadcast on television.