Iran will not return a US spy drone captured by its armed forces

Iran will not return a US spy drone captured by its armed forces, a senior commander of the Islamic Republic’s elite Revolutionary Guard said Sunday indicating that the enemies did not have a true understanding of Iran's capabilities.

Deputy head of the IRGC Gen. Hossein Salami said in remarks broadcast on state television that the violation of Iran’s airspace by the U.S.¬ drone was a "hostile act" and warned of a "bigger" response.

"No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence related to the national security of a country," Salami said.

Salami assured that this capture was a victory for Iran and a defeat for the U.S. -in a complicated intelligence and technological battle.

"Iran is among the few countries that possesses the most modern technology in the field of pilotless drones. The technology gap between Iran and the U.S. ¬is not much," he said.

But Salami refused to provide more details of Iran's claim to have captured the CIA-operated aircraft.

"A party that wins in an intelligence battle doesn't reveal its methods. We can't elaborate on the methods we employed to intercept, control, discover and bring down the pilotless plane," he said.