Iran's deterrence power prevented US action after drone downing

Iran's top military commander says the Islamic Republic’s deterrence power prevented the US from taking an action against the country following Tehran’s downing of an intruding American drone.

“If the US came close to taking action against us after the shooting down of the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle but changed its mind under the pretext that several people would be killed [as a result of military action against Iran], it is because of our deterrence power,” Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Wednesday.

He added that Iran’s strong deterrence power emanates from the Iranian thought and prudent measures of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian nation has stood tall in the defense and security sectors despite all problems thanks to the Islamic Revolution, he concluded.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on June 20 that its air defense force had shot down an intruding American spy drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.

In a statement, the IRGC said the US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force near the Kouh-e Mobarak region — which sits in the central district of Jask County — after the aircraft violated Iranian airspace.

The IRGC said that it had used the indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system, first unveiled in 2014, to shoot down the sophisticated American drone.

Shortly afterwards, Iran provided the map coordinates of the precise spot where the drone was shot.

Hours after the incident, the US military confirmed that one of its drones had been shot but claimed that the incident took place in international airspace.

On the same day that the drone was shot down, US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to call off a retaliatory strike on targets in Iran, citing casualties. He also said later in the day he was ready to talk with Iranian officials.

“What I’d like to see with Iran, I’d like to see them call me,” Trump told reports at the White House.

Iran says its military power is solely for defensive purposes and does not pose any threat to other countries. The Islamic Republic says, however, that will it give a crushing response to any act of aggression against its territory.  

Iran drones carry message of peace, security

Meanwhile, the second-in-command of the Iranian Army said that the Iranian drones are at the service of peace, stability and security of the Middle East.

“Our region does not need foreign forces presence,” Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras told reporters on Wednesday.

“Today, the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran has acquired unparalleled capabilities and stands ready in all areas to meet its needs [in defending the country],” he added.

The commander said that Iran is now in possession of modern military equipment, noting that many of such equipment are displayed in drills and some need not be unveiled, but only if need be and in case of a threat against the country.