“ ‘The Boxer’ took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew,” said U.S. President Donald Trump.”
(July 18, 2019 / JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that the USS Boxer, a U.S. Navy ship, shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day.
“The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1,000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety of ship and ship’s crew,” he said.
Trump added that the drone “was immediately destroyed.”
The president said the United States “reserves [the] right to defend our personnel, facilities, condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce.”
He called “on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the straight and work with us in the future.”
The downing of the drone occurred just one month after Iran shot down an American drone. However, Trump, at the last minute, decided not to retaliate militarily against the regime.
