U.S. compels Iran to again release seized U.S. sail drones

Reuters- Sept 2nd 2022

By :Phil Stewart & Parisa Hafezi

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, Sept 2 (Reuters) – The United States compelled Iran for a second time this week to release U.S. military sail drones that it tried to seize at sea, a U.S. defense official said on Friday.

Iran has been building up its naval presence in the Red Sea, near the coast of Yemen where Tehran backs the Houthi movement, after sending vessels there more than a decade ago to protect Iranian oil tankers and merchant ships against piracy.

The incident there, after an earlier one in the Gulf, was the latest reminder of military tensions between the United States and Iran, even as both countries pursue nuclear talks. read more They follow exchanges of fire last week between the U.S. troops and Iran-backed groups in Syria. read more

Iran state television earlier on Friday acknowledged the Iranian Navy released two U.S. maritime drones in the Red Sea but accused the American unmanned vessels of jeopardizing maritime safety, without providing evidence.

“The (Iranian navy) frigate Jamaran seized the two vessels on Thursday to prevent any possible accident after issuing warnings to the U.S. fleet. After international shipping lanes were secured, the two vessels were released in a safe area,” the TV said.

The U.S. military has not officially commented on the incident. But a U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered a different account of the incident suggesting the Iranians sought to secretly seize the drones.

Read more on the original:

https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-says-it-briefly-seizes-unmanned-us-drones-red-sea-2022-09-02/