US Drones

Merkel urges 'political solution' to US-Iran tensions

TEHRAN, Jun. 23 (MNA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that the world should work together for peaceful resolution of the dispute between the United States and Iran and warned against isolationism.

Zarif tweets images that ‘leave no doubt’ US drone was in Iranian airspace

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has posted on his Twitter account images of the path and location of the downed US drone, stressing that the photos leave no room for doubt that the US UAV was in Iranian airspace.

Malaysian PM:

US provoking Iran; miscalculations could lead to 'world war'

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – “I think as far as I can see, it is America, which is making all the provocation,” Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday.

General Shekarchi:

Firing a single bullet at Iran to burn up interests of US, allies

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – A senior spokesman for the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces warned that any single act of aggression by the US and its allies against the Islamic Republic will bear heavy costs on their interests.

British deputy FM due in Tehran on Sunday

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – British Deputy Foreign Secretary for the Middle East Andrew Marrison will visit Tehran on Sunday to discuss a host of issues, including the 2015 nuclear deal and the rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region.

Iran summons UAE envoy over US drone intrusion

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the United Arab Emirates’ charge d’affaires on Saturday over the intrusion of US drone into Iranian airspace.

Range of Iranian air defense greater than US military anticipated: report

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – The US downed drone in the region indicates that the range of Iranian air defenses is greater than the US military anticipated, Foreign Policy reported.

Iran to add more to its ‘US drone collection’ if aggression continues: IRGC

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – An IRGC top commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, warned that Iran will add more US-made UAVs to its ‘collection of US drones’ if Washington continues its aggression against Iran.

US must own up to its spying activities: senior MP

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – The US’ drone intrusion into Iranian airspace was in violation of international regulations and the US must shoulder the responsibility of such a blatant act of aggression, senior parliamentary official Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Saturday.

Parl. national security committee to address US drone intrusion: MP

TEHRAN, Jun. 22 (MNA) – Deputy Chairman of Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Kamal Dehghani said Saturday that the committee will address the situation around US drone intrusion into Iranian airspace this week.

National Cartographic Center confirms downed US UAV was in Iran’s territorial waters

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – The National Cartographic Center of Iran has confirmed that the US down that was downed yesterday by IRGC air force had been flying over Iranian territorial waters.

FM spox reacts to Hook's remarks:

Iran responds diplomacy with diplomacy, war with defense

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – "The Iranian nation answers diplomacy with diplomacy, respect with respect and war with a harsh defense", Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi wrote on Twitter on Friday.

‘Lions don’t show their teeth for smiling’: Rezaei warns

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – The Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, warned US and its allies not to underestimate Iran’s defense power.

Trump claims he called off Iran attack as it was not proportional to downing UAV

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – The US President Donald Trump says that he stopped attacks on 3 sites in Iran that could have killed 150 only 10 minutes before they started because he found the strikes a inappropriate response to downing a drone.

Iran refrained from targeting US aircraft with 35 on board flying alongside downed UAV

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force said Fri. Iranian air defense system could have targeted an American P-8 military aircraft that was flying next to MQ-4C drone downed yesterday.

Top security official:

Any military attack would be met with reciprocal response

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani says that Iran will make aggressors regret if attacked.

Debris proves US drone conducting espionage in Iran’s airspace: IRGC

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – An IRGC top commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said that the retrieved sections of the US drone wreckage prove that the aircraft was involved in espionage activities after violating Iran’s airspace.

Senior cleric says Hormuz Strait a graveyard for aggressors

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers leader Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari lauded the downing of the US drone by the IRGC air force, stressing that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and the Iranian armed forces will turn it into a graveyard for any aggressors.

Iran reveals images of US downed spy drone debris

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – Iranian Armed Forces have revealed images of sections of the downed US Global Hawk spy drone which was brought down by IRGC after violating Iranian airspace on Thursday.

Iran UN envoy:

Iran’s downing of US drone according to Article 51 of UN Charter

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – Iran’s downing of the US military drone that had violated the Iranian airspace was in compliance of the Article 51 of the UN Charter, said Iran’s permanent envoy to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi.

Trump approves strikes on Iran, but then abruptly pulls back: report

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – The US President approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an American spying drone intruding Iranian airspace, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night, according to reports.

In an emergency phone call:

Swiss envoy summoned over US drone's intrusion into Iranian airspace

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – In an emergency phone call with Swiss envoy, whose country represents US interests in the Islamic Republic, Iran voiced its strong protest against the incursion of an American spy drone into the Iranian airspace, and invited the envoy to visit the Foreign Ministry on Friday.

FM Zarif:

Sections of downed US drone found in Iranian waters

TEHRAN, Jun. 21 (MNA) – “We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down,” said FM Zarif, disproving Trump’s claim that the drone had been flying over international waters.

Trump says Iran’s downing of US drone may have been unintentional

TEHRAN, Jun. 20 (MNA) – The US President Donald Trump says that the downing of US spy drone by IRGC may have been a mistake, claiming that it was flying over international waters despite the reports that the drone had crossed into Iranian airspace.

Iran to take US drone intrusion to UN: Zarif

TEHRAN, Jun. 20 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif says Iran will take the case on US drone intrusion to UN and show that the US is lying about international waters.

War against Iran to trigger ‘catastrophe’: Putin warns

TEHRAN, Jun. 20 (MNA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says use of force against Iran would trigger a catastrophe in the region.

This was “small portion of Iran's great defense capacities”: official

TEHRAN, Jun. 20 (MNA) – An Iranian Parliamentary official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian noted that today’s downing of a US spy drone in the southern Iranian borders was just a ‘small portion’ of the country’s defense power.

IRGC releases details of downing the intruding US drone

TEHRAN, Jun. 20 (MNA) – In a Thursday statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps disclosed details of the operation on shooting down an intruding US drone in southern Iranian airspace.