In an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said that mysterious drones hovering near the New Jersey coast could be of Iranian origin, citing confidential sources with top security clearance. During an appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Van Drew stated that the individuals who approached him had high security clearance. These are actual people. These aren’t individuals sitting around a campfire in their backyard, staring up at the sky and making up stories. These are very serious players. The lawmaker speculated that the drones could be linked to a hypothetical Iranian mothership, stressing that Iran has technological capability and links with Beijing. “Iran has a mothership, and it has the technology. The mothership is supposed to be in Iran right now, but they don’t know.

Van Drew denied the notion that the drones were from the US government, private corporations, or enthusiasts. “Either these are from the United States government, which they deny and would be horrible if it was because it would mean that they’re lying, or they’re from a backyard hobbyist who obviously doesn’t have this kind of technology and never could have drones this large,” he told me. Van Drew stressed the broader national security concerns, claiming that despite enormous defence spending — “almost $1 trillion per year” — the government has been unable to offer clear information about the drones’ origin, capabilities, or mission.

“We have a government here where we spend … almost $1 trillion a year. They can’t tell us who they are, where they’re from, what’s in the drone, what the capabilities are,” he said.”We have to take them down and analyze what’s going on,” Van Drew added. “Even if the Iranian issue is not accurate, it speaks to a bigger issue that our defense is lacking.”