Iranian Drone Buzzes U.S. Fighter Jet Over Persian Gulf
A statement released by the military’s Central Command said
that despite repeated radio calls demanding that Iran keep the drone clear of American flight operations in the vicinity of the aircraft carrier Nimitz, the Iranian vehicle came within 100 feet of the fighter jet, which had to swerve to avoid a collision.
The new sanctions led Iran to lodge a complaint with the commission
that assesses possible violations of the nuclear accord, accusing the United States of breaching the 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, among Iran and six world powers, including the United States.
8, 2017
WASHINGTON — An unarmed Iranian drone buzzed an American Super Hornet fighter jet as it circled
an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.
There have been a series of clashes in a potential proxy war in Syria
that has pitted Iranian-backed militias that support President Bashar al-Assad against Syrian fighters who have been trained by American, British and other coalition military advisers.
In the Persian Gulf, there have been an increased number of close calls
and incidents as the United States has stepped up assistance to Saudi Arabia and other allies fighting Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The American military said this was the 13th "unsafe" or "unprofessional" interaction between American and Iranian maritime forces this year.
In June, the United States downed two Iranian-made drones that the Pentagon said were approaching American-backed troops on the ground in Syria.
