Tehran, January 16: Iran shot down two US navy drones outside its airspace in the Gulf, ILNA news agency quoting a top military commander as saying today.
The head of Guards’ air force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said on January 2 that his forces had shot down two drones after they “violated” Iranian territory.
But today, General Gholam Ali Rashid, the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said the unmanned aircraft were shot down outside the airspace of the Islamic republic.
“We have to say that these planes were shot down outside Iran’s airspace, which means outside our FIR (Flight Information Region), in the Persian Gulf by the air force of the Sepah (Guards),” Rashid said.
He did not explain why the Guards struck at the drones outside Iran’s airspace.
Soon after the initial report from Hajizadeh, Western media quoted US officials as rejecting the statement.
–Agencies