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