Trump says Iran has ‘made a very big mistake’ after shooting down US drone as Putin warns war would be ‘catastrophic’
DONALD Trump has warned Iran has “made a very big mistake” shooting down a US drone.
His comments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US against using force on Iran, saying it would have catastrophic consequences.
Iran has said it's "ready for war" after claiming to shoot down a US "spy" drone today as tensions continue to rise in the Persian Gulf.
But the US president tweeted: “Iran made a very big mistake!”
Speaking on Thursday during a televised call-in show, Putin said the US military action against Iran would be a "catastrophe for the region as a minimum."
'SOMEBODY MADE A MISTAKE'
He added that it would trigger an escalation of hostilities with unpredictable results.
That report quoted Yemeni military sources as saying it showed an American MQ 9 drone falling to Earth near the country's capital Sanaa - and included pictures of the crashed drone burning on the ground.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Iran mistakenly shared the old image or whether it was a deliberate attempt at spreading misinformation.
SPY DRONE 'SHOT DOWN'
RQ-4 Global Hawk drones can gather near-real-time, high-resolution imagery of large areas of land in all types of weather, its makers Northrop Grumman says.
IRNA had earlier claimed the drone entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran's Hormozgan province.
The reported shoot-down comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.
In recent days, the US confirmed an attempt by Iran to shoot down an American drone last week as well as a successful destruction of one on June 6 by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen
Earlier this week, the US announced plans to deploy more than 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East following bomb attacks on two oil tankers.
Photos released by the Pentagon appear to prove Iran's Revolutionary Guard were behind the bomb attacks on the tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced the deployment for what he said were "defensive purposes" citing concerns about a threat from Iran.
When questioned if a military response was one of the options, Pompeo responded: "Of course."
He then added: "The President will consider everything we need to do to make sure, right? But what's the President said? We don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon.
"President Trump has said very clearly, he doesn't want to go to war."
And when asked if the administration had the legal authorisation to strike Iran without approval from Congress, Pompeo said: "We always have the authorisation to defend American interests."
US and Iran - a troubled history
- Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, Iran was one of America's biggest allies in the Middle East and was led by the US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
- However, since the seismic revolt, Iran has been led by murderous Islamic fundamentalists and tensions with Washington have remained ever since.
- On November 4, 1979, the Iranian regime took 52 US diplomats hostage in response to President Carter’s administration allowing Iran’s deposed former leader into America.
- The hostage crisis lasted for 444 days and also included a failed rescue mission which cost the lives of eight US soldiers.
- In April 1980, the US ended diplomatic relations with Iran – a break which lasted for more than 30 years.
- In April 1983, Washington blamed the Iranian-funded terror group Hezbollah for carrying out a bombing attack on the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
- The assault, carried out amid a brutal civil war in Lebanon, killed 17 Americans.
- In November of that year, two truck bombs in Beruit killed 241 US peace keepers. The US again blamed Hezbollah for the incident.
- The Clinton White House, in 1995, placed a total embargo on Iran meaning US companies could not trade with the country.
- And in 2002, George W Bush included the Islamic Republic in his famous “Axis of evil” speech along with North Korea and Iraq.
It was also revealed the US Navy is sending the guided missile destroyer USS Mason to the scene of the attacks.
The deployment of extra troops is part of a broader military package of options that were initially laid out to US leaders late last month.
They include many as 10,000 personnel, Patriot missile batteries, aircraft and ships.
The Royal Navy is also set to send Marines to the region amid rising tensions.
The attacks came as tensions in the Persian Gulf between the United States and Iran reach boiling point.
In recent weeks, Washington has deployed an aircraft carriers and B-52 bombers to the region in response to what it says are Iranian threats against American interests and its allies in the region.
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