Tehran, June 21 (RHC)-- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says his country will take the case of a U.S. drone encroaching on its territory to the United Nations to prove Washington is lying about the aircraft having been shot down over international waters.
Zarif made the remarks in a tweet on Thursday, in reference to comments made by the U.S. military alleging that its spy drone has been shot down over international waters. Earlier on Thursday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its air defense forces had shot down an intruding American spy drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the IRGC said the U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force near the Kouh-e Mobarak region -- which sits in the central district of Jask County -- after the aircraft violated Iranian airspace.
Hours after the incident, the U.S. military confirmed that one of its drones had been shot, claiming that the incident took place in international airspace. Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command, also alleged that it was "an unprovoked attack.”
The Iranian foreign minister, on his official Twitter account, said: “We'll take this new aggression to #UN & show that the U.S. is lying about international waters.” The top Iranian diplomat added that the Islamic Republic does not seek war with any country, but Iranians “will zealously defend our skies, land & waters.”
He further noted that encroaching on Iran's territory was another aggressive step taken by the United States against Iran after it waged economic terrorism against Tehran and conducted covert action against it. Iran's foreign minister says the B-Team is targeting the Iranian nation with economic terrorism and even war.
The Islamic Republic uses the term to refer to the United States’ re-enforcement of draconian sanctions against the Iranian nation. Washington restored the bans after leaving a multi-party nuclear agreement with Iran last May.
Tehran says Washington enlists the assistance of domestic and regional anti-Iran officials in the process of applying the measures against the country.
