A flotilla of the Iranian navy briefly captured two US maritime drones in the Red Sea, state television from Tehran said on Friday, AFP reported.
“Iranian Navy’s Jamaran destroyer, while on anti-terrorist mission in the Red Sea, on Thursday encountered several unmanned search vessels of the US military in international sea lanes,” the television reported, referring to anti-piracy operations. Department and in the Gulf of Aden.
According to the source, the Iranian flotilla “seized these remote-controlled boats to prevent possible accidents after alerting the American destroyer twice.”
“After securing the international shipping lane, the flotilla freed the two ships,” Iranian television added, airing a video showing the Iranian military releasing two US maritime drones.
In a similar incident, the Pentagon said on Tuesday that an Iranian ship seized an unmanned US military vessel in the Gulf, but released it after a US Navy patrol boat and helicopter arrived on the scene.
The Iranian navy announced on Friday that the same flotilla had foiled a pirate attack against an Iranian merchant ship in the Red Sea on Thursday, the second time in less than a month, according to AFP, citing Agerpres.
Like other countries that use the sea route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, Iran has strengthened its naval presence in the Gulf of Aden after attacks by Somalia-based pirates between 2000 and 2011.
Author: Liviu Kojan
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