Iran’s ability to shoot down an advanced American drone, while significant, may equate to more of a show of force than an act of war, military experts said. Iran, they said, is trying to demonstrate that it can disrupt the American military despite Washington’s overwhelming dominance in technology and reach.
The RQ-4A drone that was shot down often flies at 40,000 feet, and was designed to fly that high to avoid surface-to-air missiles that are less advanced than the type Iran used to bring it down. One Defense Department official expressed shock that Iran had managed to bring down that type of unmanned aircraft. Pentagon officials echoed a similar sentiment when a Soviet-era missile system, used by Houthi fighters, shot down an American drone over Yemen earlier this month.
As Mr. Trump has announced the deployment of an additional 2,500 troops — alongside more surveillance equipment — to the Middle East to combat what the United States has described as a rising Iranian threat, Iranian forces are now demonstrating that they have the ability to restrict the American military’s ability to do just that.
“This was a show of force — their equivalent of an inside pitch,” said Derek Chollet, a former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs during the Obama administration. “This is another example of their own ‘maximum pressure’ strategy,” he added, in a reference to the Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure strategy that has put a stranglehold on Iranian oil exports over the past year.
But James G. Stavridis, who retired as a four-star admiral after serving as NATO commander, warned that the two countries are in a dangerous game that could quickly spiral out of control. He described Iran’s downing of the drone, which costs about $130 million, as a “logical albeit highly dangerous escalatory move by Iran.”
On another front in the complex regional power struggle, Saudi Arabia confirmed a claim by the Houthi faction in Yemen that the rebels had launched another in a series of aerial attacks into Saudi territory. In the war in Yemen, the Houthis, supported by Iran, are fighting a Saudi-led coalition, backed by the United States, which often blames Tehran for the actions of the Houthis.
Source : Nytimes
