ian UFOs Are U.S. Drones

Last April California Yankee posted Flying Saucers Invade :

State television on Wednesday showed a sparkling white disc it said was filmed over Tehran on Tuesday night.

More colorful Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have been spotted beaming out green, red, blue and purple rays over the northern cities of Tabriz and Ardebil and in the Caspian Sea province of Golestan, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Newspapers and agencies reported people rushing out into the streets in eight towns on Tuesday night to watch a bright extraterrestrial light dipping in and out of the clouds.

Today the Washington Post explains that 's UFOs are U.S. reconnaissance drones. In December, ians living along the Caspian Sea and on the Iraq border began reporting sightings of red flashes in the sky, streaks of green and blue, and low, racing lights that disappeared moments after being spotted. ian air force commanders identified the UFOs as U.S. drones.

According to the Post, the U.S. has been flying surveillance drones over for nearly a year to seek evidence of nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses:

U.S. officials confirmed that the drones were deployed along 's northern and western borders, first in April 2004, and again in December and January. A former U.S. official with direct knowledge of earlier phases of the operation said the U.S. intelligence community began using Iraq as a base to spy on shortly after taking Baghdad in early April 2003. Drones have been flown over since then, the former official said, but the missions became more frequent last year.

Apparently the U.S. drones have a variety of capabilities:

The small, pilotless planes, penetrating ian airspace from U.S. military facilities in Iraq, use radar, video, still photography and air filters designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity to gather information that is not accessible by satellites, the officials said. The aerial espionage is standard in military preparations for an eventual air attack and is also employed as a tool for intimidation.

The "UFO" reconnaissance drones, reports that U.S. Special forces are on the ground in , and reports of U.S. aircraft buzzing ian airspace should convince the ian mullahs that the U.S. is at least concerned about 's nuclear intentions.

Comments

[Andre Schwarz]

Unidentified Flying Objects and their identification seem rather important to me. I suppose, U.S. government invests huge amounts of money in this matter although informational politic about the status quo is kept secret until Day X, when we can shake hands with the UFO drivers. Wonder if one needs a driving license for an UFO?!

[Peter]

It would constitute dereliction of duty to NOT have all possible recon capabilities hard at work in and about Iran. Given the Iranian regime's public statements concerning what they'll do with nukes and the means to deliver them, for us to sit back and ignore their efforts is suicidal folly.
What is most interesting to me is that we seem to be making sure the bad guys see these recon platforms. Given that the paint schemes of these things make it almost impossible to see them and that they are both radar and infared-stealthy, then this must be on purpose. Why?
I would suspect that we are making these platforms visible in order to study the reactions, and placement of, the Iranian air defenses. Whether this is simply to keep the Mullahs up nights or as a prelude to making the nuke facilities smoking holes is a question. I lean toward the smoking hole theory, myself.

[Dave Schuler]

As I pointed out here we may already be at war with Iran.