Article snippet: WASHINGTON — A US warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Trump said. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike. In remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a ‘‘provocative and hostile’’ action and said the US responded in self-defense. He said the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, took defensive action after the Iranian aircraft closed to within 1,000 yards of the ship and ignored multiple calls to stand down. ‘‘The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,’’ Trump said. The Pentagon said the incident happened at 10 a.m. local time in international waters while the Boxer was transiting the waterway to enter the Persian Gulf. ‘‘A fixed-wing unmanned aerial system approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range,’’ chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a written statement. ‘‘The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.’’ It was the latest in a string of moves by the US and Iran that have brought them closer to armed conflict since early May when Washington accused Tehran of threatening US forces and interests in Iraq and in th... Link to the full article to read more