The United States has flatly denied an Iranian boast that it downed American drones, raising more doubts on dozens of Iranian claims of military successes. The New York Times' Roger Cohen went so far as to call Iran a "paper tiger" last year.Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh boasted earlier this week the Guards have downed ”many” drones, including two over the Straits of Hormuz, which Iran calls the Persian Gulf. However, no video footage of the planes was displayed, and the Guards did not say precisely where and when the drones were downed.Pentagon spokesman Dave Lapan responded by saying that there were "no recent reports that would corroborate what the Revolutionary Guard said about unmanned aerial vehicles." He said that several drones may have crashed due to technical problems, which would explain Iran’s claim that it has downed drones in its possession and is reproducing them for its own surveillance. The Canadian National Post’s Matt Gurney commented, “While the loss of a $10-million drone would be an irritant and a setback to any Western nation with an interest in monitoring the Iranian regime, it is still a far better thing to lose a drone than to lose a manned aircraft. “Despite its bluster and bravado, the fact remains that Iran can never shoot down enough cheap, easily replaced drones to seriously affect the West’s ability to spy on its military programs. Whether or not anyone chooses to act on the knowledge gained, of course, is another question.Last August, Iran showed off its first domestically produced drone, which it called an "ambassador of death". The Guards said it has a range of 620 miles and can carry a precision bomb weighing as much as 500 pounds.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has spent billions of dollars to advanced Iran’s capabilities on the sea, ground and air. The heavy expenditures, along with hyper inflation and economic damage as a result of Western sanctions, have forced drastic measures such as removing subsides that may weaken his regime in the face of renewed public protests. The government last week arrested one economist who publicly questioned Ahmadinejad’s economic policies
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