Mystery drones not from Iranian 'mothership' - Pentagon

A spate of mysterious drone sightings successful the US are not the enactment of an Iranian "mothership" lurking disconnected the eastbound coast, the Pentagon says.

Dozens of drones person been spotted crossed New Jersey successful caller weeks, including adjacent delicate subject locations successful the state.

One authorities lawmaker, Republican typical Jeff Van Drew, claimed connected Wednesday that helium heard from "high sources" that the flying objects are tied to Iran.

Van Drew's claims were flatly rejected by lawman Pentagon property caput Sabrina Singh astatine a briefing connected Wednesday.

"There is nary information to that," she told reporters. "There is nary Iranian vessel disconnected the seashore of the United States, and there's nary alleged mothership launching drones towards the United States."

The Pentagon's archetypal assessment, Ms Singh added, is that "these are not drones coming from a overseas entity oregon adversary."

The Pentagon connection comes weeks aft publically unexplained drone incursions were reported implicit US airbases successful the UK.

Dozens of sightings person been reported implicit New Jersey since 18 November, with 49 reported sightings connected Sunday alone, Governor Phil Murphy said Monday.

Some of the flights person taken spot adjacent Picatinny Arsenal - a delicate subject probe installation - arsenic good arsenic adjacent President-elect Donald Trump's play people successful the municipality of Bedminster.

Murphy stressed that the drones don't look to airs a nationalist information concern.

The FBI has truthful acold been incapable to explicate the sightings.

"I don't person an reply of who's responsible," Robert Wheeler Jr, the adjunct manager of the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group told lawmakers astatine a legislature proceeding connected Tuesday. "But we're actively investigating."

New Jersey assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia disavowed the Pentagon's assertions.

"We cognize nothing, period," she wrote. "To authorities that determination is nary known oregon credible menace is incredibly misleading."

The Republican - who was briefed by the Department of Homeland Security connected Wednesday - said the drones look to debar detection by accepted methods specified arsenic chopper and radio.

Fantasia said the drones are up to 6ft (1.8m) successful diameter, question with lights turned disconnected and "operate successful a coordinated manner."

While the mysterious objects are not believed to beryllium hobbyist drones, Fantasia said it remains unclear what they are.

Speaking to Fox News connected Wednesday, Van Drew claimed that the drones are coming from an Iranian "mothership" successful the Atlantic.

"That mothership... is disconnected the East Coast of the United States of America. They've launched drones into everything that we tin spot oregon hear," Mr Van Drew said. "These are from precocious sources. I don't accidental this lightly."

He added that the drones should beryllium "shot down".

In precocious November, the United States Air Force confirmed that unidentified drones were spotted over 3 US airbases successful the UK: RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall successful Suffolk and RAF Feltwell successful Norfolk.

Defence sources told the BBC that suspicion had fallen connected a "state actor" being liable for the incursions.

An probe is ongoing.