TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's military has shot down a U.S. reconnaissance drone aircraft in eastern Iran and has threatened to respond to the violation of Iranian airspace, a military source told state television Sunday.

"Iran's military has downed an intruding RQ-170 American drone in eastern Iran," Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam state television network quoted the unnamed source as saying.

"The spy drone, which has been downed with little damage, was seized by the Iranian armed forces."

Iran shot down the drone at a time when it is trying to contain foreign reaction to the storming of the British embassy in Tehran Tuesday, shortly after London announced that it would impose sanctions on Iran's central bank in connection with Iran's controversial nuclear enrichment program.

Britain evacuated its diplomatic staff from Iran and expelled Iranian diplomats in London in retaliation, and several other EU members recalled their ambassadors from Tehran.

The attack dragged Iran's relations with Europe to a long-time low.

"The Iranian military's response to the American spy drone's violation of our airspace will not be limited to Iran's borders," the military source said, without elaborating.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear dispute.

Iran has dismissed reports of possible U.S. or Israeli plans to strike Iran, warning that it would respond to any such assault by attacking U.S. interests in the Gulf and Israel.

Analysts say Tehran could retaliate by launching hit-and-run strikes in the Gulf and by closing the Strait of Hormuz. About 40 percent of all traded oil leaves the Gulf region through the strategic waterway.

Iran said in July it had shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane over the holy city of Qom, near its Fordu nuclear site.





Here we go again. The powers that be won't stop until there are U.S. military bases in every Middle Eastern country. A vote for Obama or any GOP candidate besides Dr. Paul will insure escalation with Iran...and all their allies.

Don't worry.....we'll make more.

Signed: US military-industrial complex.

Wonder how they will retaliate and if so, whether it will be a swift response.

War, Baby- War!!! 😞

Ya maybe we can get some more of that cheap oil at 100 billion

Planted so we could shoot back

Maybe.

I suspect what really happened is the pilot of the drone took a break and buggered a sheep and that caused a crash. The "shoot-down" story is a cover up.

Yeah.
I won't believe it until some common Iranians proudly film it and hold its pieces up.

Slapping it with sandals as its being towed around the village is popular too.

Iran has cities, not arab villages. I think.

This was our top "secret" stealth drone. I doubt very seriously that Iran shot it down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_RQ-170_Sentinel 

I'm not buying that it ran out of gas so that makes post #7 in this thread the ONLY possibility!

DADT![whip]

LMAO! Now that was funny.

The circuitry is probably shot but they'll probably sell the schematic remnants to China after they try to relight it... er, just to make sure it doesn't work... [gonzo]