Iran provided details of how its military forces brought the US spy drone down indicating that they’d duplicate it if found more powerful than those of the IRGC
Iran provided details of how its military forces brought the US spy drone “Beast of Kandahar” down after its illegal entry to the country’s airspace indicating that they’d duplicate it if found more powerful than those of the IRGC.
Commander of the Aerospace Division of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said that “after the aircraft's entry into the country's eastern [air]space, it fell in the electronic ambush of the Iranian Armed Forces and was brought to the ground with minimum damage [caused to it],” according to Mehr News Agency.
“The recently-collected intelligence and precision electronic surveillance have made it clear that the drone aimed to infiltrate our country's airspace and conduct espionage [activities],” he added.
US analyzing footage
On Tuesday, two US officials confirmed that the drone had been part of a CIA reconnaissance mission. The New York Times reported that the drone was part of a surveillance program that has frequently sent the hard-to-detect aircraft into Iran to map suspected nuclear sites.
Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby said that American experts are now analyzing the Iranian footage indicating that the experts are not “just military personnel,” but declining to provide specific details.
Know-how technology in Iranians’ hands
An American official said Wednesday that the United States had doubts that the Iranians may have the expertise to exploit the technology found in the wrecked vehicle.
Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Tehran's intention to display the stealth drone in public "is a testimony to the power of the Iranian regime."
According to Boroujerdi, shooting down the American aircraft sends a clear message to Western states that they “should be aware of Iran's might and not make any mistakes.”
The committee chairman also noted that shooting down the American drone has stirred a media frenzy around the world, adding that even China and Russia "were astonished by our great armed forces." A new website reported that Chinese and Russian military officials were requested to send experts to Iran, in order to examine the American drone.
However, Committee member Hussein Ibrahimi said that “if the American plane is more modern than those used by Iran, we will without doubt duplicate it and build one of our own.”
Iran retaliates
Iran urged the UN to condemn the US drone's violation of the Islamic Republic's airspace, calling for necessary measures to stop such 'dangerous and illegal' acts of aggression by Washington.
As a retaliatory measure, Iran lodged a formal protest with Switzerland by summoning its envoy Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and told him that the incident suggests Washington has upped its "provocative and covert actions" against the Islamic republic.
The Swiss embassy handles US interests in the absence of Iran-US diplomatic ties.
