According to the statement, the Global Hawk had flown from one of the American bases in the southern parts of the Persian Gulf region at 00:14 a.m. local time, with its identification transponders off in breach of all international aviation rules.
It also went on to say that the drone had stealthily continued on the route from the Strait of Hormuz towards Iran’s port city of Chabahar.
While returning towards west of the Strait of Hormuz, the drone violated Iran’s territorial airspace and began gathering intelligence and spying, the statement said.
The drone had been targeted and shot down by the IRGC at 04: 05 a.m. local time, it added.
An informed IRGC source in Hormozgan province said the drone had been targeted near the Kouh-e Mobarak region and fell down in the area of Ras al-Shir in Iran’s territorial waters.
He told the IRNA news agency that the downing came after repeated violations of Iran’s airspace by US reconnaissance drones in the Persian Gulf region.
Just because something is the most ham-fistedly, pig-headedly stupid thing that the US government and Military could do, unfortunately, is utterly no guarantee that the US and its military, will not do it.
I am relieved that Trump did call off the airstrike, but the question remains, as to what both the US and Israel plan to do now, since the airstrikes were called off.
But the biggest "clout" President Trump had, when he took office, was the US's support for the P5+1 deal, from which he has withdrawn American support.
I would imagine that Iranian leadership must be thinking that President Trump might be slightly bi-polar, to make such a "switcheroo" on the the actual attack, just 10 minutes before declaring he had done it. I think, reasonably, the Iranians can find no comfortable "middle Ground" with this President, consider his withdrawing the US from the P5+1 agreement.
So what does President Trump have with which he can negotiate now ?!?
He's got an industrial-strength "Frenemy" with Israel's Netanyahu, who will use every opportunity to trap President Trump into a no-win, horrific war, which will most certainly be a war of attrition; in fact, I would rather count on Israel to attempt to pull another "USS Liberty event" (That was when Israel attempted to destroy an American Naval ship, and desperately tried to blame Egypt for it) if they think they can get away with it.
And let's not forget Trump's other BFF in the Middle East, regional neighbor and huge oil producer in Saudi Arabia, currently being run by the Butcher of Yemen, Prince Bin Salman.
How much actual military support against Iran can President Trump expect from both Bin Salman, and the Saudi military?!?
President Trump needs every good opportunity to hand, with regard to Iran; unfortunately, he has very little to offer right now, except for a (potentially deferred) invasion, which will never resolve either the political, and/or economic issues in the region.