Reconnai-sense

The AP reports today that the US is using unmanned aircraft to spy on Iran. The report explains that the unmanned aircraft are being used to monitor Iran's nuclear capabilities and whether or not they have successfully constructed a nuclear weapon.

There are several things wrong about this report that I wish to bring up. First, why is the US using unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance? Wouldn't it make more sense to use one of the dozens of spy satellites to peek at Iran from orbit? Anyone can log onto websites and look at detailed pictures of Iran provided by private companies' satellites. Isn't it reasonable to think that the US would have much more advanced imaging satellites focused on Iran?

Second, while I was watching Fox News this morning, the report they gave on air also explained that the unmanned drones would have sensing equipment to record radiation and plutonium in the air they passed through, which would aide in the detection of weapons-grade nuclear material. However, this logical reason for the drones' use is not included in this article.

Third, besides the knowledge of drones being deployed in eastern Iraq, the main evidence for their existence in Iranian airspace is this - direct from the AP article:

When Iranians living along the Caspian Sea and on the Iraq border began reporting sightings of red flashes in the sky, streaks of green and blue and low lights that disappeared moments after being spotted, Iranian air force commanders concluded they were spy drones, the Post said.

It noted that many Iranian officers were trained more than 25 years ago in the United States and are familiar with U.S. tactics.

Indeed, these drones are easily spotted by the (nonexistent) red and green navigation lights that are on them, as well as the fact that these drones are (not) fast-moving aircraft. Also, the Iranians extensive knowledge of 25-year-old US tactics surely implies that they can easily spot US unmanned reconnaissance drones above their heads - drones that were not in use or development in 1980, and if they were I'm sure that Iranian officials were given access to their schematics and the tactics for their use. I think that the 1980's were the heyday of the SR-71. Heck, maybe we gave them access to information about that, too!

Third, if there is a scrap of truth to these reports, then why is it being reported by the mainstream media? Is it their duty to cast out every US military secret for the world to examine and evaluate? If the US is flying unmanned craft over Iran I'm sure they have good reason, and furthermore any release of information about their mission could be detrimental to future US policy towards Iran.