International Law Fall 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
France Reducing Embassy Staff in Tehran
Unclear Whether Iran Shot Down Drone
NATO'S International Security Assistance Force said that a United States drone was flying a mission towards the western border of Afghanistan which borders Iran and lost control of the drone. A U.S. official with knowledge of the accident said the crew operating the drone reported a loss of control before the drone went down. American officials have said that they have not flown over Iran at all. An unnamed Iranian military official called it a "clear example of aggression" and added that Iran is "fully ready to counter any aggression." Earlier this year, Iran's military made a similar claim, saying it downed a U.S. drone flying near its Fordo nuclear plant. Iran would retract that statement a few days later saying the accident was for training purposes.