No Iranian drone 'mothership' off the United States, Pentagon says

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday flatly dismissed claims by a U.S. lawmaker that Iran might be launching drones over New Jersey from a "mothership" off the East Coast.

"There is no truth to that," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

"There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States and there's no so-called 'mothership' launching drones towards the United States."

Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, whose district in New Jersey includes Atlantic City, said he had uncovered what appeared to be an Iranian plot.

"What we’ve uncovered is alarming — drones flying in from the direction of the ocean, possibly linked to a missing Iranian mothership," he said on social media platform X.

The lawmaker also made the claims on Fox News.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it began receiving reports of drone activity near Morris County, New Jersey, on Monday, Nov. 18. The FAA has barred drone flights over Picatinny Arsenal Military Base and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

Last week, the FBI and New Jersey State Police asked the public to report any information related to the recent sightings of possible drones flying in several areas along the Raritan River.

"Witnesses have spotted the cluster of what look to be drones and a possible fixed-wing aircraft. We have reports from the public and law enforcement dating back several weeks," the FBI said.

The Pentagon said an initial assessment had shown the drones were not from another country and that the U.S. military had not shot them down because they did not pose a threat to any military installations.

"We have no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary," Singh said.

"We're going to continue to monitor what is happening. But, you know, at no point were our installations threatened when this activity was occurring."

Still, the latest drone sightings are a reminder of the growing concern about a proliferation of drone technology and the potential security considerations, given that drones can carry surveillance technology or even explosives. At a press conference, House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked about the lack of information about the drones.

"We need a greater degree of transparency from law enforcement authorities and we will make sure that happens in the days and weeks to come," Jeffries said.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and David Shepardson. Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell)