Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory amid tensions over oil tanker attacks

American central military command claims there were 'no US aircraft' over Iran at the time Thursday 20 June 2019 06:18 {{^moreThanTen}} Click to followThe Independent It comes amid high tensions over attacks on oil tankers which the US and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran ( Reuters )

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has shot down a US drone flying over the country's territory close to the Strait of Hormuz, amid a growing row between Washington and Tehran over reported attacks on oil tankers.

A spokesman for the US military declined to comment when asked whether an American drone had been shot down, but said there were "no US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace" at the time.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, citing the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, identified the "spy" drone as an RQ-4 Global Hawk and said it was shot down on Thursday morning as it entered Iranian territory near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran's Hormozgan province. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

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Kouhmobarak is close to the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and Iran.

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