Iran claimed to have captured a U.S. drone Tuesday as it entered the country's airspace over the Persian Gulf, but the U.S. Navy disputed the claim. Gen. Ali Fadavi, a Revolutionary Guard navy chief, said the "intruding" ScanEagle aircraft was captured and is now in Iran's possession. The ScanEagle drone is made by Boeing Co. and measures four feet long with a 10-foot wingspan, NBC News reported. Iran's state TV channel Al-Alam showed commanders examining what appeared to be an intact ScanEagle drone, The Associated Press reported. A U.S. Navy spokesman said the Navy has "fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operating in the Middle East region." Commander Jason Salata from the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said said that U.S. ScanEagles have been lost into the sea in the past, but none have gone down recently. Last month the U.S. claimed Iranian warplanes shot at a U.S. surveillance drone flying in international airspace, and in 2011, Iran claimed to have brought down a CIA spy drone after it entered Iranian airspace from the country's eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which is equipped with stealth technology, was captured almost intact. Tehran later said it recovered data from the top-secret drone. Washington asked for the drone back, but Iran refused and instead released photos of Iranian officials inspecting the aircraft.
