Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Trump Says It's Certain That US Shot Down Iranian Drone

Steve Herman

   WHITE HOUSE - Updated at 2:29p.m. July 19.

   U.S. President Donald Trump expressedconfidence Friday that an Iranian
   drone was downed in the Strait of Hormuz as it approached a U.S.
   warship the previous day.
   "No doubt about it. No. We shot it down," Trump told reporters in the
   Oval Office.
   "There's no question that this was an Iranian drone," Trump's national
   security adviser, John Bolton, chimed in. "TheUSS Boxertook it out as
   the president announced yesterday because it posed a threat to the ship
   and its crew. It was entirely the right thing to do."
   Asked if he was worried about a broader clash with Iran in the strait,
   Trump replied he was not.
   "We hope for their sake they don't do anything foolish," he said. "If
   they do, they will pay a price like nobody's ever paid a price."
   Earlier Friday, asenior administration official told reporters the
   Defense Department was expected torelease video evidence of the drone
   shootdown.

   Iran continued to deny the allegations.

   "We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else,"
   Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on Twitter, adding
   he was "worried" that the U.S. amphibious assault ship had shot down an
   American military drone "by mistake."

     We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere
     else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS by
     mistake!
     -- Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) [1]July 19, 2019

   "The Iranians don't have a great history with the truth," responded a
   senior U.S. official to the assertion from Tehran. "They have a 40-year
   history of provoking us."

   Trump told reporters gathered for a White House event Thursday that the
   drone came within 900 meters of the Boxer and ignored "multiple calls
   to stand down."

   "The drone was immediately destroyed," he said. "This is the latest of
   many provocative and hostile actions by Iran against vessels operating
   in international waters. The United States reserves the right to defend
   our personnel, our facilities and interests."

References

   1. https://twitter.com/araghchi/status/1152081448704196611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw