CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie confirmed that the U.S. downed at least one Iranian drone July 18, saying the USS Boxer may have taken out a second Iranian drone. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quick last week to say the U.S. shot down its own drone in a friendly fire incident, looking to save face. But McKenzie now confirms that Electronic Magnetic Pulse [EMP] technology took down two or possibly more drones. Iran boldly hijacked July 19 British-flagged 20,000-ton Stena Impero tanker in retaliation for the U.K.’s July 4 interdiction of Iranian-flagged supertanker Grace 1 near Gibraltar. Britain and Iran have demanded the immediate release of each other’s tankers but so far nothing has happened. What happened today was the U.K.’s Tory Party voted in 55-year-old former London Mayor and former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.
Before Prime Minister Theresa May turned over the reins to Johnson, Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt announced yesterday that the U.K. would seek to partner in Persian Gulf security with the European Union [EU]. Johnson’s ascension to Prime Minister today marks a shift to the right in U.K. foreign policy. Unlike May, Johnson won’t hesitate to confront Britain’s enemies, finding more compatibility with 73-year-old U.S. President Donald Trump. Hunt let Iran try to split off U.S. foreign policy from the U.K. and EU. Voting in Boris today as Prime Minister automatically increases pressure on Tehran to cease-and-desist its malign activity, especially the current tanker war in the Gulf. Iran knows that Johnson won’t hesitate coordinate with Trump to deal with Iran’s aggression in the Mideast and North Africa. May always kept Trump at arm’s length, not sure how he played politically.
Taking down two-or-more drones surprised U.S. officials, not knowing what to expect in the Persian Gulf. “As always, it was a complex tactical picture, we believe two drones. We believe two drones were successfully—there may have been more that we are not aware of—those are the two that we engaged successfully,” McKenzie said. Iran quickly denied that any of its drones were taken down, insisting that the U.S. shot down its own drone. There’s zero information coming from any official Iranian source that’s trustworthy. With Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei controlling every aspect of Iranian life, there’s no free press, other that government propaganda. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said June 28 that Iran does not want war with the U.S. When you consider Iran’s proxy war against U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, Iran’s already indirectly at war with the U.S.
McKenzie confirmed that a heat-seeking missile did not bring down the drones on July 18 but a newer, more advanced technology brought down the drones electronically. “We are confident we brought down one drone, we may have brought down a second,” McKenzie said. “We have not lost a drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else I am worried that the USS Boxer shot down their own UAS [Unmanned Aerial System] by mistake,” said Abbas Araqchi, deputy to Zarif. Iranian denials go with the territory, much like the July 15, 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], insisting Iran was not enriching uranium to a certain limit to comply with the agreement. U.N.’s Geneva-based International Atomic Energy Commission [IAEA] was not allowed access to Iran’s sensitive military sites where intel officials believe Iran continue to enrich weapons grade uranium.
Using an Electronic Magnetic Pulse to take down an Iranin drone breaks new ground for the Pentagon in its counterintelligence operations. When Iranians down a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drown June 20, the did so with a heat-seeking missile. “It was not a missile or any kind of projectile,” said CBS new report David Martin, confirming that the Iranian drone was not taken down by a missile. USS Boxer took defensive action when an Iranian drone flew within 1,000 yards of the ship. Bluffing about its military sophistication, Iran continually denies that anything can go wrong with its military defenses. Rouhani and Zarif claim they don’t want war with the U.S. but any more mishaps with the U.S. or any of its allies could result in military action. Iran’s talks about war but Trump won’t commit to anything other than pinpoint strikes on Iran’s strategic military sites.
Pentagon officials upped the ante with Iran using Electronic Magnetic Pulse technology to down Iranian drones. Iran’s leadership, if it wants to survive, needs to stand down, dial back the rhetoric and stop the aggressive actions on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. With U.S. Prime Minister Boris Johnson sworn in today, he’ll be closely aligned with Trump dealing with Iran’s interference in global shipping. May was paralyzed to do anything to defend British shipping rights due to her failed Brexit strategy, leaving her a feckless lame duck in office. Johnson won’t hesitate to coordinate with the U.S. all military operations in the Persian Gulf to keep international shipping lanes open. Khemenei knows that his mullah regime is on thin ice, pushing the region to the brink. One more aggressive action from Iran would trigger a joint military response from Trump and newly minted U.K. Prime Minister Johnson.
