Re: A certain amount of thrashing around going on here....
"My guess would be that the US was flying its drone right down the edge of Iranian airspace. Maybe they pushed it a little too close".
A plausible opinion, but to anyone who knows about modern military technology (especially US) it's what we technically call "balls".
The USA has satellites and other means that can detect a submarine 20 metres underwater by the surface wave it pushes up (a few inches high). They can see a person smoking on the ground, and it has been claimed they can read licence plates (although I doubt that). The military version of GPS is far more accurate than the civil version, and the drone operators would have known exactly where they were to within a few feet at all times - as would the crew of the manned aircraft.
As for the limit of Iranian territorial waters, that theory won't wash either. It's 12 miles, and there is no controversy about it.
Besides, just try flying a foreign military aircraft anywhere near the USA's 12-mile limit and see what happens.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
