ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
STORY: Iranian state television showed on Thursday (December 8) what it claimed was a U.S. reconnaissance drone shot down in Iran last week, airing footage of an aerial vehicle resembling a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone.
Revolutionary Guards Commander Ali Hajizadeh told state television, the Iranians brought down the drone with minimal damage on Sunday (December 4) in eastern Iran.
Iran's state TV also reported on Thursday it's Foreign Ministry had summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in the country, to condemn what it said was a U.S. violation of its airspace.
Officials in the U.S said there was no indication the aircraft had been shot down. They said malfunction was more likely to put the drone in Iranian hands.
NATO's U.S.-led mission in neighbouring Afghanistan said the Iranian report could refer to an unarmed U.S. spy drone that
went missing recently.
"Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador on Thursday and strongly objected to America's violation of the
country's airspace with a spy drone... Iran also demanded the American government's explanation and compensatory action," television said.
Washington has not had a mission in Iran since 1980, when Iranian students stormed its embassy and took 52 Americans
hostage for 444 days.
The drone incident comes at a time when Tehran is trying to contain foreign outrage at an attack on the British embassy last
week, after London imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank over Iran's disputed nuclear enrichment programme.
Iran has announced several times in the past that it shot down U.S., Israeli or British drones, in incidents that did not provoke high-profile responses.
Tehran is at loggerheads with Washington and its allies over the Islamic state's disputed nuclear programme, which the West
suspects is aimed at making nuclear weapons.
Iranian officials deny the charge, saying the country wants nuclear technology to generate electricity.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to resolve the row. Iran has said it would respond to any strike by attacking Israel and U.S. interests in the Gulf.
In January Iran said it shot down two unmanned Western reconnaissance drones in the Gulf.
In July, Iran said it had shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane over the holy city of Qom, near its Fordu nuclear site.
