US Central Command intercepts Iranian drone in Gulf area

ANKARA

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday announced the interception of an Iranian drone that was flying near its Dwight D Eisenhower carrier in the Gulf area.

In a statement, CENTCOM said it intercepted the Iranian UAV that was "operating in an unsafe and unprofessional manner during aircraft carrier flight operations in the Arabian Gulf."

While most of the Arab countries name it the Arabian Gulf, the Iranian side insists that its official and internationally-recognized name is the Persian Gulf.

It stressed that "the US navy will continue to fly and sail where international law allows."

CENTCOM said on November 26 that the Carrier Strike Group Eisenhower entered the Gulf waters area "to support USCENTCOM missions."

On November 28, the Iranian powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) released a video of an Iranian surveillance drone filming the US carrier and its accompanying strike group warships.

CENTCOM commented on the move as "unsafe, unprofessional and irresponsible behavior by Iran."

Writing by Ahmed Asmar