<p class="p1"><span class="s1">A US Navy warship sailing in the Strait of Hormuz took down an Iranian drone Thursday after the unmanned aircraft approached to within 1,000 yards of the ship. It is unclear whether the drone was armed.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The drone was “immediately destroyed” after “ignoring multiple calls to stand down,” said President Trump during a flag presentation ceremony at the White House. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">The drone was destroyed using electronic jamming. </span></strong></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions by Iran against vessels operating in international waters,” added Trump. “The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities, and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Iranian officials said they had “no information about losing a drone” and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami warned that Iran’s defensive strategy could “become an offensive strategy” if “our enemies make any mistakes.”</span></p>
<p>One day before the incident, the IRGC unveiled a new drone that is capable of carrying<span class="s1"> “precision-guided projectiles.&#8221; </span></p>
<p><span class="s1">Last month, the IRGC shot down an unarmed American drone it claimed was flying in Iranian airspace. US officials said the drone was conducting routine surveillance in international airspace.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">At the time, Lt. General Joseph Guastella of US Air Force Central Command described the attack as an attempt to “disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">President Trump suggested the US military was “cocked and loaded” to retaliate, but called off the attack based on casualty predictions. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">On Sunday, Iran seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker it claims was smuggling 264,000 gallons of fuel through the Strait of Hormuz. US officials have demanded the release of the vessel and its 12 crewmen.</span></p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Iran is saying &#8220;What drone? There was not drone.&#8221;</p>