Trump: US Navy Shot Down Iranian Drone in Strait of Hormuz

Says destroying of Iranian drone was response to a 'provocative' act by Iran

President Trump has reported on Thursday that the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault vehicle, attacked and destroyed an Iranian drone. The attack occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump said it was self-defense.

Trump said the drone was about 1,000 yards away from the ship at the time, and was “immediately destroyed.” He called the US destruction of the drone a response to an Iranian “provocative and hostile action.”

This comes nearly a month after Iran shot down a US drone, in the same region, a move which President Trump almost used as a pretext to attack Iran outright, but called off at the last minute.

It is noteworthy that Trump presented Iran’s shootdown of a US drone as an aggressive act, and the US shootdown of an Iranian drone in the same area under the same circumstances as Iran’s fault.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.