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    July 20, 2011

US Denies Losing Drone in Iran

   VOA News

   The U.S. has denied an Iranian report that the country's Revolutionary
   Guard shot down a U.S. drone (unmanned spy plane).
   Intelligence and military officials told VOA on Wednesday that the U.S.
   rejects the claim and has not lost a drone.
   An Iranian lawmaker said the country's elite military group downed the
   U.S. spy plane as it was attempting to collect information about an
   underground uranium enrichment site.
   Iran's state TV-run Youth Journalists Club on Wednesday quoted MP Ali
   Aghazadeh Dafsari as saying the aircraft was flying near the Fordu site
   around the holy city of Qom.
   The report did not say when the Revolutionary Guards shot down the
   plane.
   The report comes a day after Iran said it was installing new
   centrifuges aimed at speeding up its enrichment of nuclear material.
   Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday the new
   equipment will bring more speed and better quality to the process.
   He also reiterated that Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful
   purposes.
   The U.S. and other Western countries believe Iran is enriching uranium
   to develop nuclear weapons.
   The U.S., European Union and the United Nations all have imposed
   sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium, a
   process that can be used for civilian and military purposes.
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References

   1. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
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