Trump, Pentagon Stand By Assessment Of Downing Iranian Drone Despite Tehran Claims

President Donald Trump and Defense Department officials on Friday reiterated their assessment that it was an Iranian drone that was shot down by US forces in the Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) President Donald Trump and Defense Department officials on Friday reiterated their assessment that it was an Iranian drone that was shot down by US forces in the Strait of Hormuz.

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. 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 in a defensive action.

"We shot it down," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday when asked about the incident.

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton chimed in saying that here was "no question" that it was an Iranian drone that was shot down because it presented a threat, a pool report said.

Earlier on Friday, Pentagon spokeswoman Rebecca Rebarich told Sputnik the Defense Department reiterates its assessment that it was an Iranian unmanned aerial system that was shot down.

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.