US Navy Downs Iranian Drone

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Donald Trump said. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.

In remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a “provocative and hostile” action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that a U.S. Navy ship "destroyed" an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz — the latest in a series of tense incidents between Washington and Tehran.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the USS Boxer — a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship — “took defensive action” against the Iranian drone that had “closed into a very, very near distance, approximately 1,000 yards” and ignored “multiple calls to stand down.”

The drone was “threatening safety of the ship and the...