Iranian MPs to Meet IRGC Commander over Downing of US Spy Drone


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Members of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission plan to hold a special meeting with a top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday about the shooting down of a US spy drone over Iran’s territory.

Speaking to Tasnim, the spokesman for the commission said the members of the commission are planned to hold talks with Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh over various aspects of the downing of the US drone.

The parliamentarians are also slated to visit the wreckage of the downed pilotless aircraft during their meeting with the top commander, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said. 

The IRGC said on Thursday that a US spy drone that violated the Iranian territorial airspace in the early hours of the day was shot down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defense unit near the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of Hormozgan.

The intruding drone was reportedly shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.

In comments made a few hours after the incident, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami said the shooting down of the US aircraft had a straightforward message that any foreign intrusion into Iran’s sovereign territories would draw a crushing response.

“The downing of the US drone had an explicit, decisive and clear message that defenders of the Islamic Iran’s borders will show decisive and knockout reactions to aggression against this territory by any alien,” he said.

“Borders are our redline, and any enemy violating these borders will not go back,” the commander underlined.

He also made it clear that Iran is not seeking war with any country but is fully prepared for any confrontation. “Today’s incident was a clear sign of such a precise message.”

The general also reminded the enemies that the only way for them to remain safe is to respect Iran’s territorial integrity, national security and vital interests.