IRGC confronts US spy plane, air force vows to shoot enemy aircraft
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The Iranian armed forces declared their readiness for "comprehensive defense against any hostile attack."
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US Air Force F-16 jet is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on June 19, 2023. (AP)
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has threatened that Iran would "shoot down any enemy aircraft that enters its airspace, whether manned or unmanned," warning "enemies against any provocation they may attempt."
The Iranian Air Force revealed that it had engaged a US spy plane near Iranian airspace, using F-14 fighter jets and Iranian reconnaissance drones.
The Iranian armed forces declared their readiness for "comprehensive defense against any hostile attack," noting that they would deal aggressors "severe blows to their interests in the Middle East if they were subjected to any aggression."
In a related context, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami, warned all of Iran's enemies last Sunday that "any threat implemented in practice will be met with a decisive and devastating response from Iran."
Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei dismissed US threats against the Islamic Republic as "unwise" on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump sent him a letter urging negotiations while warning of possible military action if Tehran refused.
"The US is threatening militarism. In my opinion, this threat is unwise," Sayyed Khamenei said during a Ramadan gathering with university students. "Iran is capable of retaliating and will definitely inflict a blow."
The remarks came as Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had received Trump's letter, which was delivered by senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash. Sayyed Khamenei, however, noted that he had not personally received the letter yet but described it as an attempt to "deceive the world's public opinion" by portraying the US as open to dialogue while casting Iran as unwilling to negotiate.
"We sat down and negotiated for several years, and this same person threw the finished, completed, and signed agreement off the table and tore it up," Sayyed Khamenei said, referring to Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump’s first term.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has called for a new nuclear deal with Tehran while reinstating his "maximum pressure" sanctions policy, citing concerns that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has denied these allegations and has ruled out direct talks as long as sanctions remain in place.
