Trump condemns Iran for shooting down drone but says he finds ‘it hard to believe it was intentional’
President Trump on Thursday condemned Iran after one of its missiles shot down a U.S. spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz, but also expressed doubt that the incident was deliberate.
The remarks came during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office and hours after the president’s initial reaction on Twitter that “Iran made a very big mistake!”
Trump doubled down on that notion, calling it "a very foolish move" and saying the "drone was in international waters, clearly." But he remained mum on plans for a response, only telling reporters, "you’ll find out."
He also left open the possibility that the U.S. spy drone was shot down in error, saying he found “it hard to believe it was intentional” and offered the possibility that “it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”
“I think probably Iran made a mistake. I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down,” Trump said. “I have a feeling, I may be wrong and I may be right, but I’m right a lot. I have a feeling that it was a mistake made by somebody that shouldn't have been doing what they did.”
And as far as this incident’s place in escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Trump described it as “a new wrinkle.”
“This is a new fly in the ointment what happened, shooting down the drone,” he continued. “And this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you.”
Ahead of Trump’s comments at the White House, a senior U.S. military officer said Iran shot down the unmanned American aircraft over international waters in an attempt to disrupt U.S. efforts to monitor the Persian Gulf area where Trump has blamed Iran for attacking shipping vessels, according to The Associated Press.
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A commander for Iran’s revolutionary guard said the shooting sends a “clear message to the U.S.” and signals that Iran is “ready for war” -- he noted, however, that Iran has no intention of war with anyone.
Fox Business’ Megan Henney and The Associated Press contributed to this report.