Pentagon says Iranian fighter jet attacks U.S. drone

 Pentagon says Iranian fighter jet attacks U.S. drone

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian fighter jet has attacked a U.S. drone but missed, so the unmanned American aircraft suffered no damage and returned safely to base, the U.S. Defense¹ Department confirmed Thursday.

In an announcement, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said the Iranian aircraft fired at the U.S. drone and followed it as it flew over the Arabian Gulf² last week.

Defense Department officials say this is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been shot at over international waters in the Arabian Gulf.

"I can confirm that on November 1, at approximately 4:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, an unarmed, unmanned MQ-1 U.S. military aircraft conducting routine surveillance over the Arabian Gulf, was intercepted³ by an Iranian SU-25 Frog-foot aircraft and was fired upon with guns," he said.

Little said the incident occurred over international waters, approximately 16 nautical⁴ miles (about 30 kilometers) off of the Iranian coastline, emphasizing "the MQ-1 was not hit, and returned to its base safely."

"The aircraft, once it came under fire at approximately the 16 nautical mile range, moved further out," he said. "The Iranian aircraft continued to pursue the MQ-1 for some period of time before letting it return to base."

"We believe they fired at least twice and made at least two passes," Little said, confirming both Congress and the White House were notified of the incident, and the U.S. responded to Iran through the "Swiss protective powers."

"The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters, over the Arabian Gulf, consistent with longstanding practices and our commitment to the security of the region," Little said.

While insisting the aircraft was "never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international airspace," Little said the U.S. side can respond using a "wide range of options -- from diplomatic to military -- to protect its military assets and forces in the region, and "will do so when necessary."

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

4 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。