Iran warplanes fired on U.S. drone over Gulf: Pentagon

[BainsBane]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Iranian warplanes fired multiple rounds at an unmanned unarmed U.S. surveillance aircraft in international airspace over the Gulf last week, but the craft was undamaged and returned safely to its base, Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Thursday.

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta were both advised early on about the unprecedented incident, which occurred at about 4:50 a.m. ET (0850 GMT) on November 1.

Iran was later warned through diplomatic channels the United States would keep conducting surveillance flights in the region and would protect its military assets, Little said.

"The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters over the Arabian Gulf consistent with longstanding practice and our commitment to the security of the region," Little told a Pentagon briefing.

"We have a wide range of options from diplomatic to military to protect our military assets and our forces ... and will do so when necessary," he added.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-usa-iran-drone-idUSBRE8A71C520121108

[bowens43]

1. it begins......

[BainsBane]

2. I certainly hope you are wrong

The last thing we need is another war.

[cstanleytech]

20. What exactly is "it"?

[Posteritatis]

22. DU's believed war with Iran has been days away since 2004 or so. (nt)

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. I wonder why that is?

Could it have anything to do with a decade's worth of threats against Iran?

Could it have anything to do with the current US "nothing's off the table" posture of threatening Iran?

Could it have anything to do with Israel's constant blustering and threats of attack?

[Posteritatis]

24. And yet. (nt)

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. It hasn't happened...yet. I've got no problem with people screaming about looming wars.

Especially when both the US and the Israeli governments have vowed to attack Iran if it crosses "the red line."

Yeah, maybe some people are ready to go off at the drop of a pin, but that's because we and Israel have been making these threats so consistently and for such a long time.

Maybe we won't attack Iran. But maybe we will. Time will tell.

[cstanleytech]

33. While I agree that the US and Israeli governments havent exactly

been handling the Iran issue well Iran itself is guilty of the same damn thing or have you forgotten the varies provocative statements they have made?
And no it doesnt excuse the US or the Israeli governments responses but if we are going to be honest here then we need to admit that the varies governments involved in this are all behaving badly and that there isnt one lone innocent lamb in the bunch.

[cstanleytech]

32. Opps, you forgot one.

Could it have anything to do with a bunch of politicians on both sides behaving like children?

There, all fixed.

[msongs]

3. well somebody is actually fighting back. nt

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Kind Of Empty Though, Isn't It?

Shooting at an empty airplane with no weaponry over international airspace is fighting back? Seems more like the bluster of someone who wants to the big the bigger bully.

[FiveGoodMen]

25. Shooting and MISSING

That kind of surprises me.

How agile are these drones?

[grahamhgreen]

4. I call BS.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I've heard that drones are very unpopular that way.

[SCVDem]

7. Iran knew it was a drone

Once again they were just tweaking our nose.

Those sanctions are kicking their ass.

For anyone with worries about Iran, here's their air force inventory. Some of this old junk actually flies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Iranian_Air_Force

Most of those would be destroyed in place if anything happened.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. Mitt needs a job...

Send him over there to whip Iran's ass! He said he would.

[L0oniX]

10. Heh yea send him over there to outsource their jobs

[EmeraldCityGrl]

27. Send his 5 sons with him.

[caveat_imperator]

9. If rmoney had won

he would've used this incident to declare at a press conference that the US was effectively at war with Iran. Then soon after the inauguration he would've gone to Congress and demanded a formal declaration of war.

We were damn lucky not to have this bush clone get the presidency.

[BainsBane]

11. So glad

and so relieved.

[cloudbase]

13. Credit for actually asking for a formal declaration of war.

That hasn't been done since before my birth, and I'm not exactly young.

[tavernier]

12. And here is what scares me the most about these incidents...

Our country is presently so split, so divided, so ANGRY on one side, so ELATED on the other, that I have no doubt that the ANGRY side would gladly sabotage the president if it meant making him look bad. They would cut their nose to spite their face.

And I think Iran knows it.

[appacom]

15. Don't say "pansies," and I don't like your xenophobia either

[rug]

17. Yes, you do regress.

[Earth_First]

16. Good

It's about time someone said no to our Drone Wars.

[OnyxCollie]

18. This is coming from the Pentagon, remember?

The Pentagon- the organization that used a propaganda campaign of "independent analysts," retired generals who worked as defense contractors, to sell the war in Iraq. Remember that?

The Pentagon's investigation of its own actions found nothing improper. Can you believe it?

Do you think that will stop them from doing it again?

[Bradical79]

19. No big deal

I don't see a war getting started over an unmanned surveillance drone. I don't think it's entirely shocking that a country that doesn't want to be spied on shoots at a surveillance drone that's a little too close for comfort. As far as international military incidents go, this is pretty minor.

I'm perfectly fine with using drones for surveillance and also find nothing surprising about those drones being shot at by those being surveyed.

[1springhill]

28. And you would be just fine with drones..............

from other countries surveying our cities and people? I doubt it.

[Eugene]

21. Iran says repelled unidentified plane from its airspace

Source: Reuters

Iran says repelled unidentified plane from its airspace

DUBAI | Fri Nov 9, 2012 1:44pm EST

(Reuters) - Iran repelled an unidentified aircraft violating its airspace, it said on Friday, after Washington reported a U.S. surveillance drone was shot at by Iranian warplanes last week.

Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi appeared to be referring to the U.S. drone which the Pentagon said had not entered Iranian territory. The incident has underlined the risk of U.S.-Iranian tensions escalating into a military clash.

"Last week an unidentified plane entered the airspace above the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf which, due to the timely, quick and decisive action of the Iranian Armed Forces, was forced to flee," Iran's state-run Press TV quoted Vahidi as saying.

Vahidi said Iran was investigating the incident and pursuing the case via international channels.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/09/us-usa-iran-drone-idUSBRE8A71C520121109

[ladjf]

29. There are no fighter planes since WWI that would be unable to shoot down an

unarmed drone cruising at about 200 mph with ability to avoid being hit.

For that reason, I conclude that the Iranians were firing warning shots. It's their word against ours as to the exact location or direction of flight of the drone.

[Socal31]

30. Your conclusion may have been reached off of some simplistic reasoning.

First of all, Iran (and China) are known for ignoring internationally recoginzed boundries for international air and water.

Next, the Frogfoots could have easily been trying to shoot down the drones. This would not be an easy task for even the best Persian pilot.

The closing speed on a fighter jet, and the calibration of their weapons, are not designed for glorified remote control airplanes. They are meant to shoot aircraft moving at Mach 1.x.


And unless you have a source that is impartial, I really hope you don't automatically base your conclusions off of the word of a anti-women, anti-gay, relig-nut regime's media mouthpiece over our Democratically elected President's.

[ladjf]

31. The U.S. has been flying spy missions over other Countries for decades with the

approval of "Democratically Elected Presidents".

For the past three years, we have conducted numerous drone flights over Iran.

I stated my opinion that the Iranian pilots could have downed the drone if they had wanted to. I based that opinion on my own personal knowledge of the capabilities of
fighter aircraft, the SU-25 in particular.

I want to make one thing clear. I've been posting on DU since the beginning of this board. I never post anything that I think might not be in the best interest of the U.S.

If you don't agree with my post, just say that you don't. But, please, spare me the
jingoistic lecture on what you think I should or should not have based my conclusions.

By the way, we just came within a few percentage points of electing a "anti-women,
anti-gay, relig-net" candidate for President. I'm sure we are both relieved Obama
prevailed.

[and-justice-for-all]

34. Flying over another countries air space can be seen as an act of war...

Iran has the right to protect its air space as does any other country.