RPT - Pentagon Reiterates US Downed Iranian Drone Amid Tehran Claims To Contrary

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2019) The Defense Department reiterated its assessment that it was an Iranian drone that was shot down by US forces in the Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich told Sputnik.

Earlier, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran believes the USS Boxer may have shot down its own unmanned aerial vehicle, a day after the Defense Department claimed it downed an Iranian drone.

"We assess it was an Iranian [unmanned aerial system]," Rebarich said on Friday.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said an Iranian drone came within a "threatening range" of a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz before being shot down by US forces in a defensive action.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have been on the rise for over a year now. It started when Washington pulled out of the landmark multilateral nuclear deal in May 2018 and started unveiling the "toughest ever" sanctions on the Islamic republic.

In addition, the situation in the Persian Gulf and adjacent areas noticeably worsened over the past couple of months as several oil tankers were hit by explosions of undetermined origin. The United States and its allies have blamed Iran for the incidents. In the wake of the increasing tensions, Iranian forces in June downed a US surveillance drone that Tehran said had violated the country's airspace.