An Iranian drone made an “abnormal and unprofessional” pass over a U.S. aircraft carrier this month, in the latest provocation between Tehran’s military and the U.S. naval forces in the region.
The Iranian unmanned aircraft flew directly over the carrier Harry S. Truman, a Navy spokesman told the Associated Press. The U.S. did not respond once it realized that the drone was not armed and the carrier was not conducting flight operations.
The spokesman, however, did call the Jan. 12 overflight “abnormal and unprofessional,” noting that it also passed nearby the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted a link to the Associated Press story saying that “the provocation continues.”
The flyover occurred the same day that Iran detained 10 U.S. sailors who accidentally entered Iranian waters due to a navigational error. Video of the incident showed armed Iranian troops boarding the U.S. riverine boats while U.S. sailors kneeled with their hands behind their heads.
The sailors were released after being held for about 15 hours and returned home to San Diego this week. The two boats were returned to the U.S., though a military release found two SIM cards from satellite phones missing.
Late last year, Iran conducted a test fire of several rockets near a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran fired “several unguided rockets” about 1,500 yards from Truman, as well as close to commercial shipping vessels during the “highly provocative” live first test, a U.S. Central Command spokesman said.
The string of incidents illustrate the rising tension in the region despite a recent nuclear deal with Iran.
“The administration is setting a dangerous precedent of rewarding #Iran for its illicit behavior,” Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., tweeted on Friday.
The administration has stressed that the deal has helped smooth conflicts over, noting that the relationship built through negotiations led to the detained sailors’ quick release.
Since Iran complied with parts of the deal requiring it to dismantle its nuclear program, the U.S. has lifted sanctions, providing billions of dollars of relief as Iran begins to do business again with Western nations.
A group of five American hostages held by Iran was also released as sanctions lifted.
Ryan said the House will vote next week on a bill from Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., to prohibit the administration from removing Iranian individuals from a Treasury Department sanctions list unless it can prove the person is not financing terrorism or human rights violations.
“We believe the president needs to provide Congress and the American people justification on why a select, identified group of terrorists and human rights violators no longer qualify to be on those lists,” Russell said.
