FM Summons UAE Envoy over Cooperation with US in Spying on Iran

The Iranian foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the UAE charge de affairs to protest at Washington’s violation of Iran’s airspace by a spy drone which had taken off from a US base in the tiny Persian Gulf Arab state.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not accept provision of possibilities to the foreign forces for an aggression against Iran’s territorial waters, lands or airspace,” the head of the Persian Gulf desk of the Iranian foreign ministry said during the meeting in Tehran today.

He added that countries, including the UAE, cannot act irresponsibly in such cases.

The Iranian foreign ministry had also on Friday summoned Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Markus Leitner whose country represents the US interests in the Islamic Republic, and voiced the country’s strong protest over Washington’s violation of its airspace with a spy drone.

Iranian Foreign Minister’s Aide and the General Director for American Affairs at the ministry Mohsen Baharvand delivered his country’s memo of official protest to the Swiss envoy, strongly protesting the American drone’s violation of Iran’s airspace.

Tehran warned Washington that the US will be held responsible for the dire consequence of such provocative measures.

In the meeting, the Swiss diplomat was briefed with further details of the incident, informed of the exact geographical coordinates of the drone interception, and told that the wreckage of the downed drone was collected in Iranian territorial waters and delivered to Iranian armed forces, adding that Tehran is ready to show the evidence (to international bodies).

The Iranian diplomat called on the Swiss envoy to convey the message of Tehran that the country was not after starting a war with any country, including the US, reminding that, however, the Armed Forces of Iran would not tolerate any act of aggression and would immediately and strongly respond to it.

“The Iranian Armed Forces will exercise maximum restraint to protect the security and serenity of the sensitive region of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, but if the other side undertakes any uncalculated and provocative measure, it will face a reciprocal move with unpredictable consequences which will inflict damages and casualties on all sides,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned, in a message to be delivered to the US through the Swiss embassy in Tehran.

The Swiss envoy, for his part, promised to immediately convey the message to Washington.

An American spy drone was shot down by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force over Iranian airspace at dawn on Thursday. According to the IRGC, the US military surveillance drone was flying with its tracking equipment switched off at the time, violating international aviation regulations.

The United States had confirmed that one of its reconnaissance planes was shot down by Iranian air defenses, but denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at the time.

Tehran has released two videos that show the flight route of the plane as well as the moment it was brought down by an Iran-made air defense shield called ‘Third of Khordad’.

On Thursday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his country has retrieved parts of the US Global Hawk that was shot down on Thursday morning from the country’s territorial waters, rejecting Washington’s claim that the aircraft was targeted in international waters.

“(The) US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode and violated Iranian airspace,” Zarif wrote on Twitter, adding that the Global Hawk drone “was targeted near… Kouh-e Mobarak” region in the Central district of Jask in Hormuzgan province after the aircraft violated Iran’s airspace.

Zarif even provided the coordinates where the US aircraft was intercepted, and added, “We’ve retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down.”

In an earlier tweet, Zarif stated that Iran “will take this US new aggression to (the) UN and show that the US is lying about international waters”.

The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran does not want war, “but will zealously defend our skies, land and waters”.

Commander of the IRGC Major General Hossein Salami stressed that the move should alert Washington officials to stay away.

The incident sent “a clear message” to the US and other enemies that Iran will show a firm and crushing response to any aggression, Salami stated.

“Borders are our red lines and any enemy which violates them will not go back home and will be annihilated. The only way for enemies is to respect Iran’s territorial integrity and national interests,” the major general noted.