[An Nahar] An Iranian fighter jet tried to intercept a U.S. Predator drone over the Gulf but backed off after encountering two American military aircraft, the Pentagon said Thursday.No shots were fired in the confrontation Wednesday, officials said, but the United States renewed a vow that it would protect its forces in the region.
The Pentagon initially said one of the U.S. aircraft discharged a flare as a warning to the Iranian plane but officials later said no flare was let off.
The incident, which the Pentagon said took place over "international waters," highlighted the tensions between the two arch-foes and the risks of an accidental clash escalating into a serious crisis.
At one point the Iranian F-4, an old U.S.-built warplane dating from the Vietnam War era, was within 16 miles (25 kilometers) of the unmanned Predator drone, spokesman George Little said.
The unarmed Predator, the workhorse of America's fleet of robotic planes, was carrying out "a routine classified surveillance flight" over the Gulf when it was approached by the Iranian warplane, he said in a statement.