US Navy ship shoots down Iranian drone

[ghotihook]

Is this just a "Now we're even" strike? I hope this is the end of us attacking each other. I wonder if there is some kind of international law (I don't know if it matters) that defines how close you can be to other nation's ships.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/18/trum...ian-drone.html
President Donald Trump on Thursday said a U.S. Navy ship shot down an Iranian drone in a defensive action, escalating already high tensions in the Gulf region.

Trump said the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, fired on the drone in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, destroying the aircraft.

The Boxer is part of a group of Navy ships that was in the strait, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as part of an increased U.S. military presence in the region.

The incident came four weeks after Iran shot down a U.S. surveillance drone flying over international airspace the same area, in what American officials at the time called an “unprovoked attack.” And it came hours after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign tanker that it accused of smuggling oil.

Trump told reporters Thursday that, “The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew.”

The president added that Iran’s drone “was immediately destroyed.”

Trump said the drone’s approach of the Boxer is “the latest of many provocative and hostile actions against vessels operating in international waters.”

He said the United States “reserves [the] right to defend our personnel, facilities, condemn iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”

Trump also called “on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the straight and work with us in the future.”

The Pentagon, in a statement issued after the president spoke, said, “At approximately 10 a.m. local time, the amphibious ship USS Boxer was in international waters conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz.”

“A fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range. The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew,” the Pentagon said.

On the heels of Iran shooting down the U.S. drone on June 20, Trump signed an executive ordering imposing what he called “hard-hitting” new sanctions on Iran.

“We will continue to increase pressure on Tehran until the regime abandons its dangerous activities,” including its nuclear ambitions, Trump said on June 24.

The new sanctions denied Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his office access to key financial resources. The sanctions also targeted Iranian military leaders who were responsible for shooting down the drone.

[LuciusVorenus]

Iran& every other trainwreck country in that part of the world needs to learn there are limits to the patience of the US.

No president need put troops on the ground to educate them. In one day, the entire Iranian Navy and air Force could be sunk & shot down. If that doesn't make them sit down & shut up, then dams, power plants, factories, etc.

The consequences of WW2 & the cold war are this: the US is the only superpower left. As for China, they would do well to mind their own backyard ,& only that. Betting against the US is a fool's bet.

[cubby]

Here comes the war that kept Bush2 in office for Trump.

[LuciusVorenus]

Few people seem to understand that. The US doesn't have to go to war, they can just destroy Iran without suffering any losses. What can Iran do? The US territories are way out of their reach; they can lash out against their neighbors but that would only make it worse for them, not for the US.

Exactly. If they're really stupid , they'll do a directly traceable attack on Israel. And then they will be torn apart. All while MBS laughs his butt off.

[niztheundead87]

[stevenho]

The US navy definitely needs to be anchored off the coast of Iran because...reasons.

[Afrospinach]

Few people seem to understand that. The US doesn't have to go to war, they can just destroy Iran without suffering any losses. What can Iran do? The US territories are way out of their reach; they can lash out against their neighbors but that would only make it worse for them, not for the US.

We have been through this all before with gulf war take 2.

The US can destroy what they want but if they want the result they are after(Iran to denuclearise) if they end up in a war *inevitably* they are going to have boots on the ground fighting a non conventional army, maybe for years. The days of carpet bombing cities and whatnot are long gone.

The US navy definitely needs to be anchored off the coast of Iran because...reasons.

It's an anti piracy ship that seems to be always around there somewhere.

[Draco-Onis]

Few people seem to understand that. The US doesn't have to go to war, they can just destroy Iran without suffering any losses. What can Iran do? The US territories are way out of their reach; they can lash out against their neighbors but that would only make it worse for them, not for the US.

That plan worked out so well in Iraq.....

[Ghostpanther]

Few people seem to understand that. The US doesn't have to go to war, they can just destroy Iran without suffering any losses. What can Iran do? The US territories are way out of their reach; they can lash out against their neighbors but that would only make it worse for them, not for the US.

This is true and it does not need any troops on the ground to win it. They will give in eventually. Because the sanctions is hurting them badly with their economy. Just keep the pressure on.

And for the topic, do not mess with the US Navy. Iran stands no chance of winning any naval based war in the Gulf.

[PACOX]

Discussing this stuff is ridiculous. Iran has the same privilege afforded to the US to fly its drones around, especially around its borders.

The US has the ability and right (well privilege) to shoot them down.

Its basically how militarys say hello.

Its not worth it for the US to go to war with Iran and Iran knows it wouldn't survive a war.

Both sides will only flex so much before both just go home and start it all over the next.

Its not the first drone related incident.

[Ghostpanther]

Discussing this stuff is ridiculous. Iran has the same privilege afforded to the US to fly its drones around, especially around its borders.

The US has the ability and right (well privilege) to shoot them down.

Its basically how militarys say hello.

lol! Good one.

[stevenho]

It's an anti piracy ship that seems to be always around there somewhere.

There really isn't any piracy in the Persian Gulf though.
Now imagine Iranian navy patrolling the Gulf of Mexico

- - - Updated - - -

Both sides will only flex so much before both just go home and start it all over the next.

But Iran IS home.

[Ghostpanther]

There really isn't any piracy in the Persian Gulf though.
Now imagine Iranian navy patrolling the Gulf of Mexico

- - - Updated - - -

They act like pirates at times.

They are free to cruise around in any international waters.

[Draco-Onis]

Well in Iraq it was an invasion FYI. This is exactly what we should avoid. We can just cripple their industry, military and economy with airstrikes and they can't do shit unless we're stupid enough to put boots on the ground like we did in Iraq. We dont' wanna oust anyone, let whoever wanna stay in power stay in power.

your pitch was the Iraq pitch initially.

[PACOX]

Nope, I never called for an invasion. I also said we will have no losses, so it should be understood that there would be no invasion and no boots on the ground cause otherwise there will be casualties from the US side of course. Anyways I'm glad I clarified myself just in case now.

Well the Iraq ground invasion was mostly just showing face after Iraq was crippled from airstrikes. That's why only took a month to 'win'. You always have to deal with an insurgency, and that's why Iran would be a lot harder than Iraq even if we crippled their formal military and infrastructure in a day.

The US was doing what you proposed, that's what brought Iran to the table for the nuclear deal.

[Kaleredar]

I thought Hillary was supposed to be the one that was going to go to war with Iran, while Trump was the peace-lover that respected and cherished the autonomy of other countries.

[PACOX]

Nope, stop comparing an invasion to a non-invasion. There are no "small invasions", you either have boots or not. I'm against having a single soldier on the ground. It seems Bush wasn't the only stupid guy .. a lot of people here seem to believe that "oh we should send in soldiers" wtf? of course we should not. What can a soldier do that a missile can't? We should NOT have invaded Iraq, we already neutralized it, the invasion should have never happened.

Same for Iran, let them sort that shit, we take out their factories, navy, barracks, airfields, power plants, dams, and monetary institutions and blockade their sea trade. Let them do their worse; we don't give a fuck whatever they do it will be against their neighbors not against the USA and they'll bring more enemies against them. Not a single soldier is needed unless we wanna go police their country. We don't want that, fuck their country we don't wanna police it and we don't care who rules it as long as they are fangless and penniless.

So we should not be messing with them at all if we don't care what they'd do to others.

Everything about our current relationship with Iran is what they could potentially do to their neighbors, not the US.

[Kellhound]

The US navy definitely needs to be anchored off the coast of Iran because...reasons.

Freedom of navigation, that is the reason.

[Rennadrel]

Well in Iraq it was an invasion FYI. This is exactly what we should avoid. We can just cripple their industry, military and economy with airstrikes and they can't do shit unless we're stupid enough to put boots on the ground like we did in Iraq. We dont' wanna oust anyone, let whoever wanna stay in power stay in power.

On the contrary, it would be in the best interests for both the people of Iran and the Middle East for the country to go back to being a liberal and democratic society that it was in the 50's before the Americans fucked it all up.

[PACOX]

On the contrary, it would be in the best interests for both the people of Iran and the Middle East for the country to go back to being a liberal and democratic society that it was in the 50's before the Americans fucked it all up.

History tells you that free and independent democracies in the ME get bombed