WASHINGTON _ The Pentagon on Sunday accused Iran of shooting a missile at a U.S. drone on June 13 as the unmanned surveillance aircraft was flying near one of two crippled tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
The Pentagon also said Iranian-backed Houthi rebels shot down a high-flying U.S. Reaper drone in Yemen on June 6. He blamed unspecified "Iranian assistance" for the successful attack.
The claims could intensify rising tensions between the U.S and Iran, raising the possibility that President Trump will order new forces to the Middle East or take other steps to punish Tehran as part of what he calls a "maximum pressure" campaign.
Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said a U.S. intelligence assessment had concluded that "a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 [drone] over the Gulf of Oman to disrupt surveillance" of the crippled tanker.
The missile missed by a wide distance, Brown said. He provided no evidence to back up the claim that an attempted attack had occurred and did not explain why the Pentagon waited three days to make the accusation.
Tensions flared last week after the Trump administration blamed Iran for what it said were coordinated attacks on a pair of tankers, owned by companies in Japan and Norway, in international waters.
Both ships suffered still-unexplained explosions and caught fire, forcing the crews to evacuate. Iran denied any role.
In the second incident, Brown said a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper was shot down over Yemen "by what we assess to be a Houthi SA-6 surface-to-air missile."
He added: "The altitude of the engagement indicated an improvement over previous Houthi capability, which we asses was enabled by Iranian assistance."
He provided no evidence to back up the claim.
The MQ-9 Reaper has become a workhorse for the U.S. military as it conducts airborne surveillance. It has a wingspan of about 66 feet and flies at a top speed of 300 miles per hour.
U.S. officials had disclosed the attacks in recent days, but the Central Command statement Sunday was the first public effort to blame Iran for them.
