Iran's Defense Minister Refutes US Statement On Possibly Downing 2 Iranian Drones

Iran's Defense Minister Refutes US Statement on Possibly Downing 2 Iranian Drones

Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami denied a recent statement by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie on shooting down two Iranian drones by saying that none of Iran's unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2019) Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami denied a recent statement by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie on shooting down two Iranian drones by saying that none of Iran's unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.

On Tuesday, McKenzie told CBS that the US military vessel might have shot down two Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz last week rather than one that had been reported earlier.

"None of the drones of the Islamic Republic of Iran was brought down," Hatami said as quoted by the Iranian government's Telegram channel.

On July 18, US President Donald Trump said the USS Boxer Wasp-class amphibious assault ship destroyed an Iranian drone after it came within 900 meters (984 yards) of the ship.

The US Department of Defense later confirmed USS Boxer took a defensive action and shot down an unmanned aerial system, which approached the warship "within a threatening range."

The news comes amid mounting tensions between Iran and the United States, more than a year after Washington pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and reinstated wide-ranging sanctions targeting key sector's of the Iranian economy.