SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iran’s military warned off U.S. drones trying to approach Iranian war games near the mouth of the Gulf, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Tuesday.
“These aircraft [RQ-4 and MQ-9 U.S. drones] changed their route after approaching the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the air defense’s interception and decisive warning,” IRIB said.
The annual exercises concluded on Tuesday, a few weeks before resumption of talks between Iran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, according to Reuters.
The exercises stretched from the east of the Strait of Hormuz to the north of the Indian Ocean and parts of the Red Sea.
About a fifth of oil that consumed globally passes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway in the Gulf.
Periodic confrontations have taken place between Iran’s military and U.S. forces in the Gulf since 2018, when former U.S. President Donald Trump exited the nuclear pact and reimposed harsh sanctions against Tehran.
