Donald Trump says the US Navy shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions in the region.
US President Donald Trump has said a US Navy ship shot down an Iranian drone.
Calling the move a defensive action, Mr Trump said the USS Boxer fired on the drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1000 yards (914 metres), ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew,” Mr Trump said.
The president added that Iran’s drone “was immediately destroyed.”
Mr Trump said the drone’s approach of the Boxer is “the latest of many provocative and hostile actions against vessels operating in international waters.”
He said the US “reserves (the) right to defend our personnel, facilities, condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”
Mr Trump also called “on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the straight and work with us in the future.”
It came as Iran’s state TV says Revolutionary Guard forces have seized a foreign tanker with 12 crew accused of smuggling oil.
The seizure comes as tensions mount between the United States and Iran over the unravelling nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
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