The U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter may have shot down an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, but Tehran seems to be unfazed about the development.
Soon after the downing of Iran’s Shahed-139 drone by a US aircraft, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that data collected by one of its drones was successfully transmitted to a control centre following an encounter with the US military. The IRGC also confirmed the downing of the drone, but said the cause of the loss of the drone was “under investigation”.
The para-military force also claimed that the Shahed-129 drone was only carrying out its routine and lawful mission in international waters, conducting reconnaissance, monitoring, and aerial imaging," an activity it described as "standard and legal."
According to the US officials, Iran’s Shahed-139 drone “aggressively approached” the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, following which it was intercepted in “self-defence and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.”
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Iran also reportedly sent another surveillance drone towards the US fleet in the Persian Gulf. According to Iranian analysts, sending the second drone sends several messages: First, it shows that Iran has many drones and that the loss of one will not hinder its missions. Second, it shows its determination to continue surveillance. Third, it puts the US in another difficult decision-making position: should it target the second drone as well? This behaviour is similar to a “tit-for-tat” (reciprocal action) game in the military space, in which each side reacts to the action of the other without necessarily leading to full-scale conflict.
Local Persian media reports hint that by sending a drone to the US aircraft carrier, Iran was aiming to demonstrate a presence and continued surveillance, gather intelligence on U.S. fleet movements, and test the response and readiness of U.S. forces. These actions are also intended to demonstrate a lack of fear of confrontation to domestic and regional audiences, according to analysts.