Tehran confirms firing at US drone

Iran’s defence minister confirmed on Friday a Pentagon claim that two Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US Predator drone in the Gulf last week. “Last week an anonymous plane entered the space over the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf area which, due to the timely, clever and decisive action of our armed forces, was forced to flee,” Ahmad Vahidi was quoted on ISNA as saying. Also on Friday a top Iranian military official implicitly confirmed Pentagon claim that two Iranian fighter jets fired on US drone last week. “The defenders of the Islamic Republic of Iran will decisively respond to any aerial, ground or marine aggression,” Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, the armed forces deputy chief, told Sepahnews.com, the Revolutionary Guards’ website. “If any aircraft tries to enter our space, our armed forces will confront it,” he added, when asked to respond to the claim. Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Tuesday the Iranian Su-25 Frogfoot fighters fired at the drone on November 1 but did not hit it. “They intercepted the aircraft and fired multiple rounds,” Little said.