Top Commander: Armed Forces to Repel Any Invasion against Iran's Airspace

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Armed Forces repel any aggression against the country, senior Iranian military officials said, after Pentagon claimed that Iranian fighter jets have opened fire on a US drone over the Persian Gulf.

"The defenders of the Islamic Republic of Iran give decisive response to any aerial, ground or sea aggression," Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Cultural Affairs and Defense Publicity Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri told FNA on Friday, responding to a question about a Thursday report that two Iranian warplanes allegedly opened fire on a US Air Force drone over international waters.

"If any kind of alien flying object wants to enter our country's airspace, our armed forces will confront it," Jazayeri added, although he did not mention if the incident has happened or not.

His remarks came after Pentagon claimed on Thursday that on November 1 Iranian warplanes fired at a US drone in international airspace but did not hit the aircraft.

According to the timeline provided by the Pentagon, two Iranian SU-25 "Frogfoot" aircraft intercepted the American drone at about 4:50 a.m. EST (0850 GMT) as it conducted a routine, but classified, surveillance mission over Persian Gulf waters about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the aircraft fired multiple rounds at the Predator drone and followed it for at least several miles as it moved farther away from Iranian airspace.

"We believe that they fired at least twice and made at least two passes," he said. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was quickly notified of the incident, as were members of Congress and the White House, Little added.

Political analysts believe that if the story proves to be true, it seems that the Iranian fighters intended to just shoo away the American predator.

The United States also sent Iran a warning through diplomatic channels, saying it would defend its military assets and would keep sending aircraft on such surveillance operations.

"There is absolutely no precedence for this," Little said. "This is the first time that a (drone) has been fired upon to our knowledge by Iranian aircraft."

American officials said that the Iranian SU-25s were flown by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as the IRGC is responsible for protecting security over the Persian Gulf.