Iran says shot down US drone over its territory

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it h shot down a US "spy drone" which violated Iranian air near Strait of Hormuz, in latest incident to stoke tension in strategic sea lane.

re was immediate reaction from United States.

US-manufactured Global Hawk surveillance drone was hit with a missile "after violating Iranian air " over waters of Hormozgan province, Guard said in a statement.

Iranian military did t immediately publish ims of drone.

incident comes at a time of growing antagonism between Iran and United States following two waves of still unexplained attacks on Gulf shipping, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.

Iran has denied any involvement and hinted that US might have orchestrated m itself to provide a pretext for use of force against Islamic republic.

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Shooting down drone on Thursday was "a clear mess" that Iran will defend its borders, he of Revolutionary Guard said.

Iran will "respond to all foreign aggression and our reaction is and will be, categorical and absolute," Hossein Salami said, quoted by Tasnim news ncy.

"We declare that we are t looking for war but we are rey to respond to any declaration of war," he ded.

Tensions have been running high between Iran and United States ever since President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement in May last year.

subsequent reimposition of crippling unilateral sanctions has dealt a heavy blow to Iran's alrey flagging ecomy.

Washington has also bolstered its military presence in Middle East in a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran.

Its deployment to Gulf of an aircraft carrier task force as well as B-52 bombers, an amphibious assault ship and a missile defence battery has sparked fears of fresh conflict in region.

One of two tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman last week was damd by a limpet mine, US military said Wednesday.

Commander Sean Kido of US Naval Forces Central Command, or NAVCENT, said mine used in attack "is distinguishable and it is also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have alrey been publicly displayed in Iranian military pares".

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Japanese-owned Kokuka Courous, loed with highly flammable methal, came under attack last Thursday as it passed through Gulf of Oman along with rwegian-operated Front Altair.

It was second attack in a month on ships in strategic shipping lane.

On May 12, two Saudi oil tankers and two or vessels were damd in mysterious "sabot attacks" in Gulf of Oman off United Arab Emirates.

Kido told reporters in UAE emirate of Fujairah that US military h recovered "biometric information" of assailants on Kokuka Courous including fingerprints.

This information "can be used to build a criminal case", Kido said as US Navy took journalists to damd ship currently anchored some 14 kilometres (nine miles) off Fujairah.

Defence Minister Amir Hatami flatly rejected allegations Iran was behind twin attacks.

"Accusations levelled against Iran's armed forces and published film with regards to incident (that) happened to vessels... are unsubstantiated and we categorically reject se accusations," official news ncy IRNA quoted him as saying.

Washington has released ims and a grainy black-and-white video it says shows Iranians on a patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine attached to Kokuka Courous.

US commander Kido said re was an "ongoing joint and combined investigation with our regional partners into attacks" on two tankers.