TEHRAN, May 11 (UPI) -- Iranian air force units drove away a U.S. reconnaissance drone monitoring war games under way in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian officials said Tuesday.
Gen. Ataollah Salehi, the commander of the Iranian army, said a U.S. surveillance drone approached zones in the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean where Iranian forces are conducting military drills, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reports.
"Yesterday (Monday) a U.S. reconnaissance plane sought to approach our region but it left the area after receiving a prompt warning from the army's air-defense (unit)," he said.
The Iranian military faced U.S. scrutiny after an Iranian F-27 approached the USS Eisenhower in the Gulf of Oman in April. Military officials maintain that Iran has the right to identify foreign vessels approaching its waters.
Iran kicked off an 8-day war games exercise in the Persian Gulf region Wednesday, testing a series of missiles and electronic warfare devices. Iranian submarine and air force units joined their navy counterparts in the maneuvers.
