Washington:
Revelations about a US reconnaissance drone which crashed in Iran last week suggest Washington is stepping up surveillance and pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear program, media reports say.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the unmanned stealth drone was part of a surveillance program that has frequently sent the hard-to-detect aircraft into Iran to map suspected nuclear sites.
Citing foreign officials and American experts who have been briefed on the effort, the newspaper said the drone was part of the most secret of many intelligence-collection efforts against Iran, but that the crash effectively blew the program's cover.
The Washington Post said the drone program indicates that US officials believe covert action and economic pressure may be the only means of pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Citing current and former US officials, the Post said the administration's strategy includes expanded use of remote-controlled stealth aircraft, such as the one that came down in eastern Iran last week.
The report said the effort also includes stepped up sales of bunker-busting munitions, fighter jets and other military hardware to Gulf states, as well as Israel, to counter a potential threat from Iran.
The officials told the Post the new strategy suggests Washington is losing patience with efforts to negotiate a deal with Tehran to halt its nuclear program suspected of being used to create weapons.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the unmanned stealth drone was part of a surveillance program that has frequently sent the hard-to-detect aircraft into Iran to map suspected nuclear sites.
Citing foreign officials and American experts who have been briefed on the effort, the newspaper said the drone was part of the most secret of many intelligence-collection efforts against Iran, but that the crash effectively blew the program's cover.
The Washington Post said the drone program indicates that US officials believe covert action and economic pressure may be the only means of pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Citing current and former US officials, the Post said the administration's strategy includes expanded use of remote-controlled stealth aircraft, such as the one that came down in eastern Iran last week.
The report said the effort also includes stepped up sales of bunker-busting munitions, fighter jets and other military hardware to Gulf states, as well as Israel, to counter a potential threat from Iran.
The officials told the Post the new strategy suggests Washington is losing patience with efforts to negotiate a deal with Tehran to halt its nuclear program suspected of being used to create weapons.
