Wednesday's drone shoot down is the latest in a series of escalations that threaten to push Washington and Tehran into open conflict.
The destruction of an American drone above the Straits of Hormuz is the latest escalation in the U.S.-Iranian standoff, which has raised fears of a new and costly war in the Middle East.near the Kouhmobarak district north of the Strait of Hormuz, though the U.S. has said the aircraft was in international airspace when targeted. The Pentagon has now clarified that the UAV was a RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone. It was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.
Both the U.S. and Iran have said they do not want a war. Indeed, Trump has downplayed the seriousness of suspected Iranian attacks in public and reportedly, though senior aides like National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been more hawkish. Both sides see this as a way to strengthen their hand in potential future negotiations."They both want to start in a position of strengthBut such high stakes diplomacy carries risks."There is always the risk that a measured action might go out of hand, might spiral out of control—accidents can happen," Khatib warned."And if such things were to occur then of course this might drag both sides into hot conflict.
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