{"id":641670,"date":"2021-08-13T17:21:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=641670"},"modified":"2021-08-13T17:21:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:21:46","slug":"pentagon-contradicts-itself-on-origins-of-iranian-drone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-contradicts-itself-on-origins-of-iranian-drone\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Contradicts Itself on Origins of Iranian Drone"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpentagon-contradicts-itself-on-origins-of-iranian-drone%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=641670&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div readability=\"30.175243393602\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/\">National Security<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Walks back official&#8217;s claim that attack on British tanker came from Yemen<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"736\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-736x474-1.jpeg\" class=\"w-full lazyload blur-up wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-e1628885594355.jpeg 736w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-300x193.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-1024x660.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-768x495.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-1536x990.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-2048x1320.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-1400x902.jpeg 1400w, https:\/\/s4.freebeacon.com\/up\/2021\/08\/Mercer-Street-drone-attack-700x450.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption class=\"absolute text-white p-4 w-full text-right text-xs bottom-0 bg-black opacity-75\">\n\t\t\t\tA picture taken on  August 3, 2021 shows the Israeli-linked Japanese-owned tanker MT Mercer Street, off the port of the Gulf Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. &#8211; On July 29, two crew members of the tanker MT Mercer Street, managed by a prominent Israeli businessman&#8217;s company, were killed in what appears to be a drone attack off Oman, the vessel&#8217;s London-based operator and the US military say, with Israel blaming Iran. (Photo by Karim SAHIB \/ AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB\/AFP via Getty Images)\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/jack-beyrer\/\" title=\"Posts by Jack Beyrer\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Jack Beyrer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/matthew-foldi\/\" title=\"Posts by Matthew Foldi\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Matthew Foldi<\/a> \u2022 August 13, 2021 5:15 pm<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div readability=\"80.585996409336\">\n<p>The Biden administration is at odds with itself over the origins of an Iranian drone. The Pentagon\u2019s spokesman contradicted a top defense official who told the Senate that an Iranian-built drone that killed two crewmembers on a British vessel in July was deployed from Yemen.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Todd Young (R., Ind.) on Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/hearings\/watch?hearingid=916F36B9-5056-A066-60EB-4252664203AC\">asked<\/a> a top Pentagon official about weapons flowing from Iran to its Houthi allies in Yemen. &#8220;It\u2019s been reported that the recent attack on the&nbsp;<em>Mercer Street<\/em> tanker in the Gulf of Oman originated from Yemen with Iranian-produced drones,&#8221; Young said. &#8220;Can you confirm those public reports?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dana Stroul, the deputy assistant secretary of defense, was unequivocal that the drone came from Yemen. &#8220;Yes, I can confirm the reports,&#8221; Stroul told Young. Stroul&#8217;s testimony was backed up by British newspapers that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maritime-executive.com\/article\/report-drone-attack-on-the-tanker-mercer-street-came-from-yemen\">reported<\/a> that a United Kingdom special operations team is pursuing Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen who allegedly launched the strike.<\/p>\n<p>Hours after the hearing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby tweeted, &#8220;Dana Stroul did not confirm <em>Mercer Street<\/em> UAV attack emanated from Yemen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>State Department officials cut off aid to Saudi allies in their war against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in February, allowing the group to stage operations outside the country and brush back attempts from Saudi Arabia to corner the militants. The Houthis have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1909991\/middle-east\">waged<\/a>&nbsp;a violent bombing campaign against targets within Saudi Arabia with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/originals\/2021\/08\/iran-sending-more-weapons-yemens-houthis-amid-cease-fire-effort-pentagon\">aid<\/a> of Iranian weapons, and now appear to have extended their reach to maritime targets like <em>Mercer Street<\/em>. The attack comes months after the Biden administration de-listed the Houthis as a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n<p>Kirby\u2019s contradiction of Stroul\u2019s testimony is the latest instance of the Biden administration&#8217;s struggle to confront Iran for aggressive action in the region while it renegotiates a nuclear deal. The <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/biden-nominee-claims-iran-not-pursuing-nuclear-weapons-contrary-to-evidence\/\">reported<\/a> on Monday that Biden\u2019s nominee for a top arms control position has a track record of denying that Iran seeks to build nuclear weapons, contrary to Israeli intelligence and pledges from Iran\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Young told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> that while Biden\u2019s Pentagon can try to clarify Stroul\u2019s remarks, it &#8220;cannot walk back the clear threat Iran and its proxies pose to the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The administration must be clear about the threats posed by Iran and its proxies throughout the region,&#8221; Young said. &#8220;I pressed the witness about the threats to commercial shipping emanating from Iranian-backed groups in Yemen. The Pentagon can walk back the answers provided in hearings but they cannot walk back the clear threat Iran and its proxies pose to the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Security Walks back official&#8217;s claim that attack on British tanker came from Yemen  A picture taken on August 3, 2021 shows the Israeli-linked Japanese-owned tanker &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1896079,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-641670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1896079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}