DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. (all times local):

 

 2:20 p.m.

 

 Iran’s foreign ministry has warned the United States over violating Iranian airspace after the Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S drone earlier in the day.

 

 A ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, is quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying that Iran cannot condone the “illegal trespassing and invading of the country’s skies by any kind of foreign flying object.”

 

 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it shot down the American drone over Iranian airspace, while U.S. officials say it happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

 Mousavi expressed Iran’s “strong objection” and added that the “invaders will bear full responsibility.”





 

 12:45 p.m.

 

 Saudi Arabia says Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired a rocket into the kingdom targeting a desalination plant, but that no one was wounded and the rocket caused no damage.

 

 The state-run Saudi Press Agency on Thursday reported the attack, quoting military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki. The attack took place late Wednesday night.

 

 The Iranian-backed Houthis through their Al-Masirah satellite channel claimed that they targeted a power plant in Jizan in Saudi Arabia.

 

 White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders earlier said President Donald Trump had been “briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

 

 It wasn’t immediately clear why the U.S. would brief Trump over the incident if it caused no damage.

 

 The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s collapsing nuclear deal with world powers.





 10:40 a.m.

 

 The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says the shooting down of a U.S. drone has sent “a clear message” to America.

 

 Gen. Hossein Salami said also says that Iran does “not have any intention for war with any country, but we are ready for war.”

 

 His speech was carried live on Iranian state television on Thursday, shortly after U.S. and Iranian officials acknowledged the shooting down of the drone.

 

 The Guard says it shot down the American drone over Iranian airspace, while U.S. officials told The Associated Press the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

 The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled.





 10:25 a.m.

 

 A U.S. official says that an Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down a U.S. drone flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.

 

 The official spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be cleared for release to the public.

 

 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it shot down a U.S. drone amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal.

 

 It said the U.S. drone was flying in Iranian airspace, contradicting the U.S. official.

 

 The reported downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk comes after the U.S. military previously alleged Iran fired a missile at another drone last week that responded to the attack on two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blames Iran for the attack on the ships, something Tehran denies. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that "Iran made a very big mistake" in shooting down a U.S. drone.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the incident. She says the administration also will keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Trump made his comment on Twitter in midmorning.

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace. The U.S. military is calling the downing an "unprovoked attack" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz. </s> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - An American defense official says a U.S. Navy patrol boat fired warning shots near an Iranian naval ship during a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf.

The incident happened Tuesday and involved the USS Thunderbolt, a Cyclone-class patrol ship involved in an exercise with American and other vessels in the Gulf.

The official says the Iranian naval vessel came within 150 yards (137 meters) of the Thunderbolt. The official says the Iranian vessel did not respond to radio calls, flares and warning sirens, forcing U.S. sailors to fire the warning shots.

Iranian authorities did not immediately report the incident.

The American defense official spoke on condition of anonymity as the incident had yet to be made public.

Iran and the U.S. frequently have tense naval encounters in the Persian Gulf. </s> US President Donald Trump reportedly approved a missile strike on Iran but changed his mind while the planes were in the air.

Trump allegedly made the decision following an intense meeting at the White House involving national security top brass. It was made in response to Iran shooting down a US done on Thursday. However, Trump was said to have backed down on the decision following advice from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, according to sources. At this stage, it is not yet known why the president reversed the action.

It comes just a day after Trump launched his reelection campaign in Florida. During a speech at the event, he warned that Iran had made 'a very big mistake' by shooting down the drone. When asked by a reporter if he planned a retaliatory strike against Iran, Trump said: "You'll soon find out". At a subsequent press conference, the 45th President of the United States again addressed the issue, saying that he did not believe Iran's actions were intentional.

The averted strike was in response to the downing of the surveillance RQ-4 Global Hawk which Iran says was flying in its airspace - a claim the US denied. Tensions have been rising between the two states since Trump's administration accused Tehran of attacking tankers in the Gulf last week. The Revolutionary Guard said: "It was shot down when it entered Iran's airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south." Brigadier General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, warned against any further aggression and claimed the drone's downing carried a "clear message" to Iran's arch-enemy - the US.

He added: "We do not intend to engage in war with any country, but we are completely ready for the war." The US military said the drone was shot down 17 miles from Iran. Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military's Central Command, claimed no US aircraft were flying over Iran. He said: "Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false. This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in international airspace." </s> Iran says it shot down American drone; U.S. Army denies Iran’s state news agency says the drone – identified as ‘RQ-4 Global Hawk’ – was shot down when it entered the country’s airspace over the province of Hormozgan.

The U.S. military spokesman: ‘No U.S. aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace today.

The U.S. military did not fly over Iranian airspace on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, after a news website run by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said a U.S. “spy” drone was shot down over the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan

“No U.S. aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace today,” Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

“It was shot down when it entered Iran’s airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south,” the Guards’ website added.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) can fly at high altitudes for more than 30 hours, gathering near-real-time, high-resolution imagery of large areas of land in all types of weather, maker Northrop Grumman says on its website.

Urban declined further comment. The U.S. military has in recent days confirmed an attempt by Iran to shoot down a U.S. drone last week as well as a successful shootdown of one on June 6 by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen.

Tension between Iran and the United States has spiked since last year when President Donald Trump exited a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

Concerns about a military confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week and four tankers off the United Arab Emirates on May 12, both near the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.

The United States and its regional ally Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for the incidents. Iran has denied responsibility.

To counter Iran’s threats, the U.S. military has sent forces, including aircraft carriers, B-52 bombers and troops to the Middle East. However, Trump said he does not seek war with Iran.

Iran said last week that it was responsible for the security of the Strait of Hormuz, calling on American forces to exit the Gulf.

In protest at Trump’s “maximum pressure”, in May Tehran said it would start enriching uranium at a higher level unless other European signatories to the deal protected its economy from the U.S. sanctions within 60 days.

State news agency IRNA even identified the drone as an “RQ-4 Global Hawk </s> Iran shooting down US drone was a big mistake - Trump

Iranian state television said Islamic Revolution Guards Corps shot down a US spy drone over Iranian airspace

Iran has said it had recovered parts of a US spy drone in its territorial waters, after downing the aircraft in a missile strike described by US President Donald Trump as a "big mistake."

Under pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where a series of tanker attacks have sent tensions soaring with Iran, Mr Trump initially struck a combative tone.

"Iran made a very big mistake!" he tweeted in response to news Iran had shot down the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, which the Pentagon says was above international waters at the time.

"This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you," he repeated later at the White House.

But as the overnight incident whipped up fears of open conflict between the United States and its declared foe Iran, sending crude oil prices up more than six percent, President Trump moved swiftly to dial tensions back down, suggesting the drone may have been shot in error.

Mr Trump said: "I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,

"I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it".

The president's mixed message left the world unsure what Washington's next move would be.

"You will find out," President Trump said, when asked about possible retaliation.

In Tehran, however, the message came loud and clear.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that parts of the drone had been recovered in Iranian territorial waters, as Tehran moved to bring the incident before the United Nations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

"We don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters," Mr Zarif said.

The Pentagon denounced the strike as an "unprovoked attack" in international air space, claiming the navy drone was some 34 kilometers from Iran when destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.

But the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it brought the drone down as it was "violating Iranian air space" over the waters of Hormozgan province.

Mr Zarif provided coordinates to back the claim.

"At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace," Mr Zarif tweeted.

"It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59'43"N 57°02'25"E) near Kouh-e Mobarak

"We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down."

At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace. It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59'43"N 57°02'25"E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.



We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down. pic.twitter.com/pJ34Tysmsg — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 20, 2019

In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran protested against a "dangerous and provocative act by the US military forces against the territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The drone downing came as Iran was already accused by Washington of carrying out explosions on oil tankers in the congested Hormuz area.

Tehran denies being behind the attacks but has frequently threatened to block the sea lanes used by shipping to move much of the world's oil exports.

The commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, Sean Kido, said that a mine allegedly used in one of the attacks matched Iranian weaponry and that incriminating fingerprints had also been collected.

President Trump has repeatedly said he does not favor war with Iran unless it is to stop the country getting a nuclear weapon, something Iranian leaders insist they are not pursuing.

But critics of the Trump administration say his policy of "maximum pressure" , including crippling economic sanctions, abandonment of a complex international deal to regulate Iran's nuclear activities, and deployment of extra sea, air and land forces to the region, make war ever more likely.

In Washington, talk of war has become part of the already heated atmosphere as Donald Trump's reelection fight starts to gain traction.

A key Republican ally of Mr Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham, said the president's "options are running out."

Asked if he believed the countries were nearing conflict, he replied: "I think anybody would believe that we're one step closer."

"They shot down an American asset well within international waters trying to assess the situation. What are you supposed to do?"

One of President Trump's biggest opponents, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, warned that "there's no appetite for wanting to go to war in our country."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu blasted "Iranian aggression" and said "Israel stands by the United States."

But Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has close relations with Iran's leadership, said that US military retaliation against Iran "would be a disaster for the region."

Vladimir Putin with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R)

Donald Trump was elected in part on promises to end US involvement in wars in the Middle East, but the president has at the same time made clear his unquestioning support for Iran's big rivals in the region, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Trump's arrival in the White House, alongside veteran Mideast hawks like his national security adviser John Bolton, has seen a sharp deterioration in relations with Tehran.

Donald Trump began last May by abandoning and effectively wrecking a 2015 international agreement on bringing Iran in from the diplomatic cold in exchange for verified controls on its nuclear industry.

That has prompted Iran to threaten it will stop observing restrictions agreed to under the deal on enrichment of uranium.

The threat has been seen as an effort to pressure European governments that want to save the nuclear deal to push back against Washington.

The US State Department called that "extortion." </s> U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to downplay Iran’s shootdown of a U.S. drone, saying it likely was an error by “a general or somebody,” as both sides said they had evidence to prove the location of the craft when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

 

 Trump’s remarks to reporters at the White House on June 20 came hours after he had taken a harsher tone, writing in a tweet that “Iran made a very big mistake.”

 

 He was then asked whether the United States would strike Iran in retaliation, "You'll soon find out," he said.

 

 In his later comments, the U.S. president said that "I think probably Iran made a mistake -- I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down."

 

 "We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference" if the aircraft had carried a pilot, Trump said as he met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House.

 

 "It's hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth," he added. He suggested it could have been carried out by someone who was acting "loose and stupid" and characterized the incident as "a new wrinkle...a new fly in the ointment."

 

 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) early on June 20 said it had shot down a U.S. "spy" drone that had turned off its tracking equipment as it flew over the southern province of Hormozgan -- saying the flight was a clear crossing of "our red line."

 

 Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called a “provocative” incursion of the country’s airspace.

 

 But the U.S. military said the surveillance aircraft had been flying over the Strait of Hormuz in international waters when it was shot down.

 

 Late on June 20, the Pentagon released an image it said showed the flight path for the drone, but it did not immediately provide a detailed explanation of the photo.

 

 Iran, meanwhile, said it has "irrefutable evidence" that the drone was in its airspace at the time.

 

 "The evidence is clear and irrefutable, especially since some remains from the drone were found in Iranian waters," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

 

 Despite the rising tensions, U.S. officials, including Trump, and Iranian leaders have insisted they do not want to start a military conflict in the Persian Gulf.

 

 U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on June 20 he was worried that Trump could "bumble" into a war with Iran. He added that there must be a public debate and a congressional decision on funding before any military operation could be launched.

 

 "I told the president that these conflicts have a way of escalating," Schumer told reporters after meeting with officials at the White House.

 

 "The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war.”

 

 Recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz have also heightened tensions in the region, with Washington and its ally Saudi Arabia blaming Iran for the incidents. Tehran denies any involvement.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, dpa, and AFP </s> In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.

The missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.

Prior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 Reaper drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.

Still, it is the first claim that the US has information on Iranian movements prior to the attack.

CNN has not seen any imagery from the US drones.

Iran has strenuously denied any involvement in the attack.

The same official also said in the days prior to the attack, a US Reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by what is believed to be an Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.

The Pentagon had tough words for Iran on Friday as the US continues to assert its claim that Tehran was responsible for the attack on the two oil tankers in international waters after releasing video footage it says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels’ hulls.

“We’re making sure that General McKenzie and the central command has the resources and the support that they need to conduct their missions,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said, adding that the US continues to work on building an international consensus that Iran was behind the attack.

The United Kingdom released a statement Friday saying it is “almost certain” that a branch of the Iranian military — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — attacked two tankers.

The IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution in 1979. In April 2019, the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization, a move which was rejected by authorities in Tehran.

No other state or non-state actor “could plausibly have been responsible,” the statement added.

But Iran does not appear to be backing off and continues to engage in provocative behavior, according to a US official who told CNN on Friday that Iranian small boats are preventing tug boats from towing away one of the damaged tankers.

President Donald Trump seems convinced that Tehran was responsible.

“Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” he said, appearing to refer to the images and video released by the Pentagon late Thursday.

In the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.

A senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, “It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it.”

The source added that the goal of the response from the US government thus far is all about publicly exposing Iranian actions and intensifying maximum pressure.

After the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it adopted a policy of maximum economic pressure and sent a carrier group to the region, the source said this “Iranian retaliation is designed to show they can disrupt, and push oil prices up.”

The Trump administration predicted that the pressure from the United States would bring Iran to the negotiating table, but European leaders disagreed, believing it would empower the hardliners, the source continued.

Iran has denied any involvement in the incident, with its foreign minister suggesting that the US was quick to make allegations “without a shred of evidence.”

The attack could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the US administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.

The two tankers — one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals — were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world’s sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.

Jonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo’s comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as “another example of Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.”

The Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US’ claim.

Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran “categorically rejects the US unfounded claim” that Iran is behind the attacks and “condemns it in the strongest possible terms.”

He added that Iran “expresses concern” over the “suspicious incidents.” And he called it “ironic” that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy. </s> President Donald Trump has said “Iran made a very big mistake” in shooting down a US drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict.

Iran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict.

Iran has been blamed by the US for recent attacks on other nations’ shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.

American and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it shot the drone down over Iranian airspace.

The US military is calling the downing an “unprovoked attack” and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior US military official said Iran shot the unmanned aircraft down over international waters in an attempt to disrupt American efforts to monitor the Persian Gulf area.

Air Force Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella said the downing of the drone followed recent threats to international shipping commerce in the region that the US had blamed on Iran.

The commander of US Central Command air forces in the region disputed Iranian claims that the drone was over Iranian air space.

He told reporters on Thursday that the aircraft was at high altitude and at least 34 kilometres from Iranian territory when it was shot over the Gulf of Oman.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump later sought to play down Iran’s actions, saying it might have been a mistake executed by someone just being “loose and stupid”.

Mr Trump told reporters that the downing of the drone was a “new wrinkle” in escalating tensions between the US and Iran, a “fly in the ointment”.

He was coy about whether the US would respond, saying only that “you’ll find out”.

He said he had a feeling that it was a mistake, that a “general or somebody” made a mistake in shooting the drone down.

But he added that Iran had made a “big mistake” and that the US “will not stand for it”.

Mr Trump’s words appear to signal that there may not be an immediate US response to the incident.

The president has said repeatedly that the US does not want war in the Middle East, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.

The Senate’s top Democrat called the downing of the American drone “deeply concerning” and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.

“The president needs to explain to the American people why he’s driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East,” Senator Chuck Schumer said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she did not think Mr Trump wanted war with Iran and the American people had “no appetite” for it either.

She said the US needed to be “strong and strategic” about protecting its interests and “cannot be reckless”.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called Iran a “murderous regime” and blamed Tehran for the current tension.

Mr Graham, who spoke with Mr Trump by telephone on Thursday morning, said the Iranians had rebuffed the president’s willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Mr Trump recently hand-delivered by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

“Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time,” Mr Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was travelling in the Gulf of Oman.

In recent weeks, the US has sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident.

She said the administration would also keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have demanded briefings on the US conflict with Iran.
An anonymous American official says the incident occurred in international airspace, and not over Iranian territory.