President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that Iran made a “very big mistake” when its forces shot down a US drone.
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Iran made a very big mistake!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2019
The tweet comes as more and more US firepower moves into US Central Command to confront Iran, and after warnings the US has made against Iran. Many experts believe the US and Iran are on a collision course as tensions rise.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said the public would “soon find out” if the US would launch a military strike against Iran after it shot down a US Navy drone.
But the president also said he found it “hard to believe” that the downing of the drone was “intentional,” despite the fact Iran claimed responsibility. He floated the possibility an Iranian general made a “mistake” in shooting down the drone.
When asked if he was willing to go to war with Iran, Trump said, “You’ll find out.”
JUST IN: Asked whether he would strike Iran in retaliation for downing a US drone, Pres. Trump says: “You’ll soon find out.” https://t.co/7VO0Jne8eT pic.twitter.com/HH6ZQhT0qP
— ABC News (@ABC) June 20, 2019
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a US Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS-D) aircraft, specifically a RQ-4A Global Hawk High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drone that costs $123 million and was designed to be largely invulnerable to attack.
Iran claimed the drone entered its airspace, but the Trump administration maintains the unmanned aircraft was operating in international airspace and characterized the incident as an “unprovoked attack.”
The incident marked the first direct Iranian-claimed attack on US assets and came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran, triggered by Trump’s decision to withdraw from an international accord that curbed Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The downing of the drone was also the latest in an escalating series of incidents in the Gulf since mid-May, including suspected attacks on six oil tankers that the US blamed on Iran.
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