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Iran's Revolutionary Guard shoots down U.S. drone

A Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk mockup at the Singapore Air Show. Photo: Aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

An Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down an unmanned U.S. drone in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz — not over Iran's airspace as state media had claimed, ABC News and Reuters reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

Details: The AP reports Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, said on state TV he wanted to send "a clear message" to the U.S. that Iran does "not have any intention for war with any country, but we are ready for war," he said.

What they're saying: Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported earlier the country's Revolutionary Guard shot down an "American spy drone" outside Iranian airspace, which it identified as an RQ-4 Global Hawk.

  • U.S. Central Command confirmed to AP and the Washington Post that Iranian forces shot down a RQ-4 Global Hawk drone early on Wednesday in "international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz."

The big picture: The U.S. announced this week it's sending an extra 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to "hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups" that threaten U.S. "personnel and interests." The Trump administration blames Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf this month.

  • On Monday, Iran threatened to break uranium stockpile limits set under the 2015 nuclear deal within the next 10 days.

Go deeper: Without new talks, U.S.–Iran tensions continue to escalate

Go deeper

Alayna Treene, Andrew Solender
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Right-wingers making McCarthy sweat for future Speaker post

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stands with his Republican colleagues outside the House on Nov. 17. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Right-wing elements in the Republican Party are complicating House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's attempts to become the next speaker of the House should the GOP take back the majority in 2022.

Why it matters: While McCarthy has worked carefully to build trust among the conservatives who tanked his chances at clinching the speakership in 2015, they're still circling ahead of the next Speaker vote in January 2023.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Congress sprints to meet crush of deadlines

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Congressional leaders have been pushing off vital action for months — and a lot of it will catch up with them in December, which begins Wednesday.

Driving the news: Funding for the federal government is set to expire at midnight on Friday. There are also consequential deadlines related to the debt limit, President Biden's agenda and annual actions like voting on the National Defense Authorization Act.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan
1 hour ago - World

U.S. fears Iran won’t scale back to 2015 nuclear deal

Officials gather in Vienna on Sept. 29 for the first day of renewed nuclear talks with Iran. Photo: EU Vienna Delegation/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

U.S. officials have extremely low expectations as world powers resume negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear program, believing the Iranians aren't yet ready to negotiate seriously, Axios is told.

Driving the news: Senior officials in the U.S. intelligence community have assessed the new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, thinks of his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, as a weak accommodationist who negotiated a bad deal with the U.S. and other world powers in 2015.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow