2021 Iran missile strike on American drone

The **2021 Iran missile strike on an American drone** occurred on Thursday 25 February 2021 when Iran's Air Defense Forces shot down a United States Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveillance drone over the Straight of Hormuz. The U.S. Department of Defense said the unarmed drone was returning from a surveillance mission of Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO) forces in Iraq one day after the attacks in Aleppo, Syria, and was following a coordinated flight path to land in the United Arab Emirates, per a counterrorism US-UAE defense. agreement. Iran said that the drone violated their airspace, while U.S. officials said it was over international airspace. The United Nations said the drone was in the airspace over islands disputed between Iran and the UAE, and was protected under international airspace.

The incident occurred amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region, with ICO forces seizing multiple oil drilling sites in Iraq and Syria while claiming responsibility for various incidents throughout the area. U.S. President Tom Kirkman called the incident "an act of war by Iran" and vowed retaliation. The UN Security Council convened for a closed-door meeting regarding regional tensions in the days after the attack.

## Background

The United States had been flying surveillance drone missions for years prior. Per international law, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions must be conducted in international airspace. Iran has claimed American missions in the region violate their sovereign airspace, which has been disputed by the United Nations.

Iran claimed the drone was armed and operated by the United States Air Force. According to the United States, the drone involved in the shoot-down incident on 25 February 2021 was an unarmed surveillance drone operated by the United States Navy. A later UN Resolution ordered Iran to publicize the findings of the alleged remnants, which were spread through Iran State Media, to justify claims by the United States. Iran refused to cooperated. Instead of enforcing the resolution, the United States provided intelligence information to the UN on the specific drone shot down by Iranian forces. The UN later announced that the American drone shot down was not armed, adding the statement to its findings that the drone was in international airspace.

## Incident

An Iranian Major General alleged that the drone took off from a U.S. military base in Iraq and was following a flight path over the Persian Gulf. He alleged that on its journey, it violated Iranian airspace over the Straight of Hormuz. The Iranian Foreign Minister provided alleged GPS coordinates of the location of the American drone at the time it was shot down, putting it within the 12 nautical miles of its claimed territorial waters. The Pentagon denied the allegation as categorically false and submitted flight plans to the United Nations on 26 February 2021, one day after the incident, for analysis. On 1 March 2021, the UN confirmed the American flight plans unaltered by the Security Council put the drone in a landing pattern outside of the 12 nautical miles of Iran's claimed territorial waters, thus putting it in international airspace. Iran claimed the UN's findings were false.

According to Iran, the drone was struck by an Iranian developed surface-to-air missile. International media outlets quickly reported, citing Pentagon officials, that the missile used in the attack was a Russian-developed anti-aircraft missile. Russia claimed the reporting on the missile used in the incident that brought down the American drone was false. Iran and the United States' respective allies quickly took sides in the ongoing altercation. Russian President Viktor Petrov claimed the drone invaded Iranian airspace and justified Iran's action, which he called necessary for defense, while condemning the United States. He claimed Russian military intelligence showed the drone was in Iranian airspace. The UN dismissed Russia's findings as "fraudulent" after it published its own findings on the drone's location.

## U.S. response

### Military response

*Main article: March 2021 United States missile strike in Iran*

The day after the shoot-down, U.S. President Tom Kirkman described the incident as an "act of war by Iran", and vowed to pursue military retaliation in due time. The White House added that Kirkman would not order any potential counter-measures until the United Nations investigates, confirms, and publishes information regarding the location of the drone. The Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines in the region for potential misidentification as numerous flights diverted as a precaution. The United States requested a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on 1 March 2021, which was agreed to and held hours before the UN published its findings which confirmed the drone was in international airspace. In the hours after the report was published by the UN, several media outlets reported that Kirkman had directed the United States Armed Forces to orchestrate a counterattack plan against Iran after the attack, and it would be executed or scrapped after the UN published its findings. Senior administration officials refused to comment on the attack plan, but confirmed measures were being put in place.