Iranian Drone Flies Over US Channel During Drill
Navy Commander Kevin Stephens gave his reassurance that while an Iranian drone flew over the US Carrier, it didn't pose a threat, but he did thought of it as "abnormal and unprofessional," according to Ars Technica. News on Iran's IRNA showed an alleged video of the drone surveillance, but Stephens cannot confirm whether the video was authentic.
The US Navy confirmed the Iranian drone passing their channel and directly over the USS Harry S. Truman, while they are performing drills on the Persian Gulf. In his statement with the IRNA news, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari an Iranian Navy Commander said it "allowed our men to go so close to the warship and shoot such a beautiful and accurate footage of the combat units of the foreign forces."
Despite confirming the drone passing over Truman, Stephens, on the other hand, cannot confirm whether an Iranian drone indeed passed on the 12th of January. He also said that future incidents will be dealt by the US navy in accordance to their rules.
In his statement also featured on the Navy Times, Stephens said "not in a position to verify the authenticity of the video, as there are countless examples of similar footage to be found on the Internet."
The USS Harry S. Truman is located on the Persian Gulf, along with the French carrier Charles de Guille when the incident of the Iranian drone passing happened. The two carriers were performing airstrikes against the ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria at the time.
Iran has previously been sanctioned over their nuclear programs and recently, the U.S. called them out for their ballistic missile program. The video that was shown in Iran's IRNA exposed an unmanned US warship at the Persian Gulf BBC reports.
In the IRNA news report, the drone's apparent surveillance has been joined by Iran's light submarine during Iran's naval drill. The incident of the drone flying through the US Warship happened during the third day of Iran's drill.
The said date when the Iranian drone was spotted was the same day 10 Navy Sailors were detained by Iranian officials when they mistakenly entered their territorial waters. According to the BBC News, the U.S. was quick to deliver its thanks and appreciation for the quick release of the 10 Navy sailors.
Secretary of State John S. Kerry said "This kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved and officially resolved, and that is testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong."
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