Iran has insisted the US did not shoot down one of its drones - and claims to have images to prove it.
Yesterday US President Donald Trump claimed the USS Boxer warship destroyed the drone after it came too close to the ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
He said it ignored “multiple calls to stand down and was threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew.”
“The drone was immediately destroyed,” he said.
Today however, Tehran said all of its drones returned home safely and said there was no confrontation with the US ship.
It pledged to release images from the drone taken before and after the US claimed it was destroyed.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Aragchi tweeted: "We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else."
We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS by mistake!
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 19, 2019
Iran said the drone had been carrying out regular surveillance when the American vessel arrived.
The statement did not say when the images would be released.
It said the country's Revolutionary Guard forces would continue to monitor all movements of foreigners, especially the "terrorist forces" of the US and UK in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.
US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, 17-07-2019. Image: Kevin Dietsch / Pool via CNPLast night's incident marked the latest increase in tensions between the US and Iran since President Trump pulled the US out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and re-introduced crippling economic sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.
Last month, Iran shot down a US drone it claimed was flying in its airspace – prompting President Trump to threaten a retaliatory air strike.
He later claimed he called off the strike at the last minute in a bid to save lives.
A number of unclaimed attacks on oil tankers have also fuelled fears of a potential armed conflict.
Responding to the claims from Tehran, a senior Trump official said the Us had "clear evidence" that it shot down such a drone on Thursday.
"If they fly too close to our ships, they'll continue to be shot down," the official told reporters.
The official added that a video of the incident could be released by the Pentagon.
