President Donald Trump says a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
Trump says it’s the latest “hostile” action by Iran. He’s calling on other countries to condemn what he says are Iran’s attempts to disrupt the freedom of navigation and global commerce in the strategic waterway in the Gulf region.
Trump says the USS Boxer took defensive action after the drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.
The president says the drone threatened the safety of the American ship and its crew.
Iran recently shot down a US drone that it said was flying over Iran. Trump called off a planned retaliatory airstrike at the last minute.
Pentagon says it took defensive action against drone
The Pentagon said on Thursday that the USS Boxer took defensive action against a drone after it came within a “threatening range” in the Strait of Hormuz.
“A fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
Hoffman said the incident took place about 10 a.m. local time as the Boxer was transiting into the Strait of Hormuz.
“The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew,” he added.
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