Iranian plane attacks U.S. drone

At least 2 shots missed in Persian Gulf encounter, Pentagon says

— An Iranian attack aircraft fired at least twice at an unarmed U.S. drone conducting routine surveillance in international airspace over the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon said Thursday. The aircraft missed and the drone returned to base unharmed.

The shooting in the Persian Gulf, which occurred just before 5 a.m. EDT on Nov. 1, was unprecedented, Pentagon press secretary George Little said. The episode was not disclosed sooner because the military does not discuss classified surveillance missions, but agreed to answer questions after news reports revealed the shooting.

Little said the drone was about 16 miles off the Iranian coast when the Russian-made SU-25 Frogfoot warplane intercepted it and opened fire. He said it was the first time an unmanned U.S. aircraft was shot at in international airspace over the Persian Gulf.

“Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international airspace,” Little said at the Pentagon. “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 long-standing practice and our commitment to the security of the region.”

According to the Pentagon, the Iranian warplane made at least two passes by the slower-moving drone, firing “multiple rounds.”

Little said that once the Predator drone came under fire, it began to move farther out and the Iranian aircraft continued to pursue it “for some period of time before letting it return to base.” The Iranian plane did not follow the drone all the way back to its base, Little said, declining to say where that base was.

He said there was no other U.S. aircraft nearby that could respond to the attack and added that the U.S. believes Iran was trying to shoot the drone down.

This is the second encounter involving a U.S. drone and Iran.

In December 2011, a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone equipped with stealth technology was captured in eastern Iran. Tehran claims it brought down the aircraft, but U.S. officials said the drone malfunctioned and had to land.

After initially saying only that a drone had been lost near the Afghan-Iran border, American officials eventually confirmed the plane was monitoring Iran’s military and nuclear facilities. Washington asked for it back, but Iran refused and instead released photos of Iranian officials studying the aircraft.

In other developments, Iran announced Thursday a ban on imports of 75 so-called luxury products — ranging from high-end cars to coffee to toilet paper — part of efforts to promote domestic products and stem the outflow of dollars and other foreign currency as Western economic pressures increasingly choke off Iran’s commerce and critical oil revenue.

It’s the most sweeping measure so far to batten down the Iranian economy, although the move is not likely to leave showrooms and store shelves empty.

It allows for foreign parts to be shipped in for local assembly plants, which make cars such as Peugeots, European-brand home appliances, laptops and mobile phones — all covered by the new ban.

There also are many Iranian-made alternatives to the list of now-blocked toiletries and beauty products — toothpaste, soap, shampoo, cosmetics and even toilet paper — but many consumers strongly prefer often better-quality imports from Europe, Turkey and the Middle East.

Western sanctions have cut sharply into Iran’s oil sales, which account for 80 percent of the country’s foreign-currency revenue. At the same time, Iran has been blackballed from the major international banking systems, which has helped push the Iranian currency to record lows and forced merchants to resort to handcarrying gold and cash from nearby commercial hubs of Istanbul or Dubai.

It’s unlikely that squeezing consumer choices will be enough to touch off major street protests, which would certainly be met by swift crackdowns. But the steps could directly affect Tehran’s main bazaar, which acts as a clearinghouse for many imported products.

Critics say the new bans will only boost smuggling, which now comprises $15 billion worth of goods annually, according to some estimates. That’s more than three times the import of “luxury” goods cited by the Commerce Ministry.

Also Thursday, the Obama administration imposed financial sanctions against officials and government bodies in Iran that the U.S. blames for jamming satellite broadcasts and blocking Internet access for ordinary Iranians.

Th ursday ’s action is the first foreign-policy announcement since President Barack Obama won re-election.

The State Department said four Iranian individuals are banned from traveling to the United States.

Spokesman Victoria Nuland said those targeted include Reza Taghipour, Iran’s minister of communication and information technology, and Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Nuland blamed Taghipour for ordering satellite broadcasts jammed and restricting Internet connectivity.

She said the culture ministry has closed newspapers and detained journalists.

Information for this article was contributed by Nasser Karimi, Brian Murphy and Bradley Klapper of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 11/09/2012

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