Iran warned the United States on Wednesday that any violation of Iranian airspace by American planes would be met with a "swift and resolute" response. Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani was commenting on several U.S. planes seen flying very close to Abadan, a port city in southwestern Iran. "We will not allow our airspace to be violated. If it happens, we will prevent its reoccurrence through our swift and resolute response," Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
A stern letter of protest? A strong message of warning?
"The Americans state that their weapons and instruments are accurate and error-free. Of course, the USS Vincennes proved otherwise," Shamkhani said. In 1988, the USS Vincennes cruiser shot down an Iran Air Airbus A300 over the Gulf, killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard.
Weapons worked just fine, seems to me. Of course, the target was miss-identified, but another of our ships had been hit by an Iraqi air to surface missile in the same region. They were nervous and a mite trigger happy. Shit happens in a war zone. |