Iran has rejected Barack Obama’s call for the return of the U.S. drone that recently fell in Iranian territory.
Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said: “The American spying drone is the possession of the Islamic Republic, and our country will decide what to do with it.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also responded to the U.S. president’s request for the return of the drone, saying: “I believe he has forgotten that there has been an invasion of Iran’s aerial territory.”
He added that Iran holds the U.S. accountable for this invasion.
Last Sunday, Iranian authorities announced they had captured an unmanned U.S. drone flying in Iranian territory. The RQ-170 drone is currently in the possession of Iran with minimal damage.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said: “There will definitely be no recovery of the drone”
He added that an official request is not a mere statement in an interview. “An official request is done through diplomatic channels, and it means that the Swiss ambassador, as the U.S. representative, will deliver their request to our foreign ministry,” he said.
He added that the U.S. also must pay compensation for the invasion.
Iran has filed a complaint to that effect at the United Nations.
