The quasi-official state news agency for Iran reported Sunday that the Iranian military had chased away a United States spy plane after it allegedly violated Iran’s airspace.
The Iranian Navy detected the aircraft entering the country’s airspace and issued a warning to the United States Navy, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
The aircraft was allegedly flying over the Sea of Oman, Tasnim News Agency said, citing public relations for the Iranian Navy as the source for the information.
“The vigilant Iranian naval forces gave the plane a warning and blocked its unauthorized entry into the Iranian airspace,” the agency reported, paraphrasing the statement from the Iranian Navy. “The American aircraft has reportedly heeded the warning, stayed away from the Iranian aerial border and returned to the international routes.”
The American plane reportedly being flown was a Lockheed EP-3, a reconnaissance plane. The EP-3 is a manned aircraft that usually carries a crew of 24 persons, including three pilots.
There were no details from the news agency about the manner or the type of warning given to the American aircraft.
There has been no comment or official statement from any American military agency, including the United States Central Command, about the alleged incident.
Iran has a history of shooting down American drones over its airspace, including in 2011, as reported by The Christian Science Monitor, and in 2019, as reported by CNN.
Iran has been hit with multiple sanctions by the United States after the United States government accused Iran of sending drones to Russia to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Iran denies the allegation, claiming it only sent drones before the latest invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been high as the United States carried out precision airstrikes in Syria in March, killing at least eight Iranians, according to Fox News.
This was allegedly a tit-for-tat killing after Iran engaged in its own drone strike on a coalition base, which resulted in the death of an American contractor, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
