An Air Force general says that none of the US Air Force’s unmanned aerial vehicles is on the ground in Iran. Maj. Gen. Allen Peck told Associated Press news service that a new claim by Iran that it had downed a UAV could be real or fabricated, but it did not involve an Air Force UAV. Peck, who is deputy commander of US air forces in Southwest Asia, noted that US military forces are “not interested in doing something that’s perceived as provocative” while US and European nations are engaged in diplomatic discussion with Iran over its program development. Iran has come out with a similar report last year of a downed UAV, which was not verified.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.