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Trump Calls Iranian Shootdown of US Drone 'New Fly in the Ointment'

Jeff Seldin

   Carla Babb, Steve Herman, Katherine Gypson, Ken Bredemeier contributed
   to this report.

   WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump called Iran's shootdown of a
   U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz a "very bad mistake," saying it
   will further complicate an already tense showdown between Washington
   and Tehran.

   "This is a new fly in the ointment," Trump told reporters Thursday
   while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White
   House.

   "This drone was in international waters, clearly. We have it all
   documented scientifically not just words," Trump said. "They made a
   very bad mistake."

   Earlier, the president wrote on Twitter, "Iran made a very big
   mistake!"

     Iran made a very big mistake!
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [1]June 20, 2019

   But during the meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Trump seemed to
   try to soften his rhetoric.

   "It could have been somebody that was loose and stupid," he said of
   whoever ordered the attack.

   He also said, "It would have made a big, big difference" had Iran shot
   down a manned U.S. aircraft.

   Earlier Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have shot down
   the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over Iranian airspace.

   "Borders are our red line," Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein
   Salami told a crowd in the western city of Sanandaj, in a televised
   address. "`Any enemy that violates the borders will be annihilated."

   But U.S. Air Forces Central Command, which oversees U.S. military
   activity in the region, said the Iranian claim was "categorically
   false."

   "This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset that had
   not violated Iranian airspace at any time during its mission," Lt. Gen
   Joseph Guastella said in a statement he read to reporters at the
   Pentagon.

   Guastella said the drone was flying a surveillance mission over
   international airspace and was 34 kilometers from the Iranian coastline
   when it was shot down.

   "This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area
   following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of
   commerce," Guastella said, adding it could have put civilian aircraft
   flying in established air corridors between the United Arab Emirates
   and Oman in danger.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1141711064305983488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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