Senior Cleric:

Downing of US Drone by Iran Shows US Weakness

TEHRAN (defapress)- Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers leader Hojjatoleslam Kazzem Seddiqi lauded the country's Armed Forces, specially the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), for intercepting a US stealth drone which violated Iran's airspace, and said that this move showed Washington’s weakness in area of technology.

News ID: 78398

Date: 16 August 2019 - 17:47

Addressing a large and fervent congregation of the people in Tehran on Friday, Hojjatoleslam Seddiqi said, “The downing of the US radar-evading drone by Iran indicated the demise of the corrupt Western system.”

He further praised Iran's advancement in various military technologies, and reminded that the US drone was shot down by a home-made drone.

He also lauded the country's progress in designing and manufacturing planes, and thanked the military industries for the advancements.

The senior Iranian cleric, meantime, blamed the US for the prevailing insecurity in the region.

In relevant remarks earlier in August, Head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Public Relations Department Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif described downing of the US spy drone by the IRGC as shocking to many, and said that even the enemies have come to admit Iran's high defense power.

"Today, everyone admits Iran's defense capabilities," General Sharif said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran.

He referred to the intruder US spy plane which was shot down by the IRGC in June, and said, “Downing of the US drone with indigenized equipment shocked many.”

General Sharif also warned enemies against Iran's retaliatory measures in response to any aggression, and said, "No one can stand against the Islamic Republic.”

Iran’s air defense units intercepted an intruder US Navy spy drone, MQ4-C Triton, over Iran's territorial waters on June 20.

The IRGC shot down a US Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ4-C Triton drone that had entered Iranian airspace in the Gulf of Oman to gather intelligence on June 20, using indigenous Sevvom Khordad surface-to-air missile system.

The United States had confirmed that one of its reconnaissance planes was shot down by Iranian air defenses, but denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at the time.

Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that his forces could have also shot down a US P8 aircraft with 35 on board which was violating Iran’s airspace, but decided to shoot down the drone to only send a message to Washington.

“We intended to send a message to American terrorists in the region,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh said on June 21, adding that his forces had also traced a military P8 aircraft violating the airspace of Iran.

“Along with the American drone was an American P8 aircraft with 35 on board, and it was also violating our airspace and we could have downed it too,” he said, adding, “But we did not do (shoot down) it, because our aim was to warn the terrorist forces of the US.”

General Hajizadeh also stressed on June 22 that Iran was not after war but was fully ready to defend itself, adding that the fate of the downed US spy drone was waiting for any intruding flying object.

“Our response to anything trespassing Iranian territory is like this, and if such acts of aggression are repeated, our response will also be the same," General Hajizadeh said.

“We don’t embrace war but we are ready to fully defend the country,” he said.

"We possess a collection of US drones which is a proof that US has violated Iran’s airspace and shows that they don’t want to respect the international law,” General Hajizadeh said.

“If such an aggression is repeated, we will add other US (military) products to complete this collection,” he noted.

“The US measure was in violation of international law and we acted according to our legitimate responsibility,” General Hajizadeh said, adding, “It is possible that a US general or some operators were behind this American aggression, we don’t know that. But that measure (intruding into Iranian airspace) is a violation of international aviation rules by a spy drone which then received our natural response."

Meantime, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami stressed that the move should alert Washington officials to stay away.

The incident sent "a clear message" to the US and other enemies that Iran will show a firm and crushing response to any aggression, he stated.

"Borders are our red lines and any enemy which violates them will not go back home and will be annihilated. The only way for enemies is to respect Iran's territorial integrity and national interests," the major general noted.

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