Iranian’s propagandist media mouthpiece is claiming an American spy drone’s been bagged over a nuclear enrichment plant. The US’ propagandist mouthpiece, Voice of America, says it didn’t happen. But who to believe!
Danger Room’s David Axe astutely points out that the Iranian announcement hasn’t been accompanied with the usual “hey look, we’re dancing around with your wrecked plane” footage. Then again, there’s every reason to believe that American drones are droning around Iran’s nuclear facilities to keep tabs on an alleged weapons program – and it’s not like a government is ever eager to fess up when one of its prized spy toys gets headshotted. Axe also points out that the drone could have had a self-destruct mechanism built in to prevent retrieval – which would preclude celebratory debris-mongering.
So what’s more likely? With so many caveats, immense secrecy and plausible deniability up the wazoo, believing either side’s account ought to be accompanied with rolling around in a salt mine. [CNN and Danger Room]
Photo via UAS Vision