And we just let them? TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned on Friday morning Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Markus Leitner whose country represents the US interests in the Islamic Republic, and voiced the country’s strong protest over Washington’s violation of its airspace with a spy drone. Iranian Foreign Minister’s Aide and the General Director for American Affairs at the ministry Mohsen Bahrvand, in a meeting with Leitner at the foreign ministry HQ in Tehran this morning, delivered his country’s memo of official protest to the Swiss envoy, strongly protesting the American drone’s violation of Iran’s airspace. Tehran warned Washington that the US will be held responsible for the dire consequence of such provocative measures. In the meeting, the Swiss diplomat was briefed with further details of the incident, informed of the exact geographical coordinates of the drone interception, and told that the wreckage of the downed drone was collected in Iranian territorial waters and delivered to Iranian armed forces, adding that Tehran is ready to show the evidence [to international bodies]. The Iranian diplomat called on the Swiss envoy to convey the message of Tehran that the country is not after starting a war with any country, including the US, reminding that, however, the Armed Forces of Iran will not tolerate any act of aggression and will immediately and strongly respond to it. “The Iranian Armed Forces will exercise maximum restraint to protect the security and serenity of the sensitive region of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, but if the other side undertakes any uncalculated and provocative measure, it will face a reciprocal move with unpredictable consequences which will inflict damages and casualties on all sides,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned, in a message to be delivered to the US through the embassy of Switzerland in Tehran. The Swiss envoy, for his part in the meeting, promised to immediately convey the message to Washington http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980331000250
Trump claims he stopped the strike when he was informed that 150 people would be killed. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/...-against-iran-then-called-them-new-york-times
So all of a sudden we're incompetent ... Just when it counts?? Mighty convenient LOL. Hell, they should've been bumping asses because you know both sides were looking for debris.
When aircraft violate a country's air space, the usual procedure is to notify the offending country first before taking any action. Such violations are not uncommon. If Iran was going to "exercise maximum restraint" that's what they would have done, not shoot it down. So Iran is lying right there. And of course, we do not know that our drone was violating their air space.
Again, do you think the USN cover all of the strait all the time? And you do know, I hope, that debris in the water will drift with the currents, especially light composite material... If the drone had been over land in Iran airspace the iranian would have posted image of the crash site, not just random debris.
If the US had any debris, they would have shown it by now. If it was truly in "international airspace", that is. And, yes, they should be covering the hell out of the area (and are, no doubt) at this time.
Again, why would the US have debris? They don't have the need to show debris since they know exactly where the drone was when shot down. And what do you want the USN to do when the iranians are picking up the debris, shoot at them? Do you want war? The iranian have a need for the debris for propaganda reason.
To recover an asset. Pretty obvious except for those trying to deflect. Do I want war? No, but Trump acts otherwise, or else this is just more fake macho posturing. "On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not.... Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump ....proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!"
What asset... It has been blown up, there's nothing to recover beside debris. And as I said, Trump doesn't want war but your side does.
It's a high tech spy drone. Of course we would want to recover it to keep it out of the hands of the Iranians. We don't know what was among the recoverable debris. My "side"? Tell me what my side is.
That drone model has been used for many years now and its spec are well known by all the nations that bought them for their own use. These are not the F-22, those are common reconaissance drones.
Your accusation that the drone was in Iranian air space is opinion, not fact, and therefore has no merit.
This is a new development in the "law" of war. How would the fact this drone was unarmed, only used for spying, and in international airspace, affect justification for military retaliation. Trump said he cancelled his orders for a retaliatory attack when told they estimated 150 Iranians could die in the contemplated retaliation. How many humans can be justifiably killed in retaliation for the destruction of a drone?
Iranians are shooting their own leg. There used to be a debate whether US economic sanctions against Iran are justified. Now there is no such debate. It's been only several months since sanctions were reimposed but the Iranian economy is already sinking. By the end of Trump's second term they will drop their nuclear ambition and allow anytime anywhere inspections. Or else Iranian people will throw its regime out of window.
Sure but what does this have to do with the fact that the previous poster's claims were false and/or what point are you trying to make.
That is assuming the US is telling the truth that their drone was in international airspace. Iran says it was in their airspace, and so that equates rather well. Add to that, Iran fished up the debris of that well over a 100 million worth of high tech equipment in their waters. That fishing up, and the drone being there, wouldn't be possible in international waters with the US being there, now would it?
These sanctions are not any different than the situation before the deal. And that never let the the will to drop their nuclear "ambition". Israel has been yelling that they are about to have their nuclear bomb... decades ago. They never did that, while it took the US something like 4 years to build a bunch of them.... in the 1940's. So you know. It's a technology that's half a century old. If they wanted some of them, than they would have build some 100's of them some decades ago.