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US Slams Iran Over ‘Unprovoked Attack’ After They Shoot Down $180 Million Spy Drone

Iran says they are "ready for war."

The United States just slammed Iran for shooting down a $180million spy drone that it claimed was in it’s air space.

Daily Mail reported that U.S. Navy Captain Bill Urban described what happened as an “unprovoked attack,” adding that “Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false.” Meanwhile, Iranian commander Hossein Salami said that his nation is “ready for war” and that the drone had been downed because “borders are our red line.”

“Any enemy that violates the borders will be annihilated,” Salami told a large crowd in the Iranian city of Sanandaj. He added that Tehran’s response to the drone was “a clear message” from the “defenders of the borders” of Iran. Salami went on to say that Iran will “respond to all foreign aggression and our reaction is, and will be, categorical and absolute.”

The Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran’s propaganda outlet, posted a photo that they claimed showed the burning aircraft falling from the sky, but the image was taken two years ago in Yemen.

President Donald Trump briefly addressed what happened on Twitter on Thursday morning, writing, “Iran made a very big mistake!”

CNN reported that in meetings with his national security team over the past few weeks, Trump has been skeptical about going to war with Iran, telling advisers he isn’t interested in sending American troops into another engagement in the Middle East. The president has also reportedly said that  a regime change should not be in the cards.

National security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly disagree with the president and are much more open to going to war with Iran, frequently offering warnings to the nation. Relations between the U.S. and Iran have been strained ever since the U.S. quit the Obama-era nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions last year.

Earlier this week, Trump gave an interview in which he opened up about what kind of provocation would justify military action in his mind.

“I would certainly go over nuclear weapons … and I would keep the other a question mark,” Trump said.

One source close to the situation said that the Trump administration believes Iran is targeting oil tankers in an effort to “impact the oil market” and provoke Trump over an issue that they know he cares about.

“With mines placed above the water, they knew this wasn’t going to have a lot of collateral damage,” the source said. “It’s symbolic, and it was to affect the markets, but it hasn’t had much effect.”

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