Iran fired a surface-to-air missile on a US drone, hours before two tankers were hit by suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.
A US official told CNN that the missile missed the drone and fell into the water. While the official did not reveal whether the drone had footages of the attack being conducted, the source said that an American MQ-9 Reaper drone saw "Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers."
The source also claimed that another US drone was also shot down by an Iranian missile by alleged Houthi rebels a few days before the attack.
On Friday, the US military released the footage that showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing a limpet mine from one of the oil tankers. The video suggested that the Iranian armed force tried to remove evidence of its involvement from the attacks.
Following the release of the video, US President Donald Trump accused Iran's involvement saying that the attack had "Iran written all over it" in an interview.
The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also blamed Iran for the recent attack and said, "Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted."
Iran has denied the accusations and asserted that the country is responsible for maintaining the security of the Strait of Hormuz economic corridor.
Regarding Mike Pompeo's statements, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said "Obviously, accusing Iran of such a suspicious and unfortunate incident is the simplest and the most convenient way for (US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and other US officials. These accusations are alarming."
On Friday, the Security General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called for an independent investigation of the incident by the security council.
"It's very important to know the truth and it's very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously, that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts," he said at a press conference.
Earlier this month, a UAE-led probe concluded that a "state actor" was most likely behind the attack on four oil tankers that took place on May 12 within UAE special economic zone waters, outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia and the US had accused Iran's involvement in the May attacks.
