Satellite images have spotted the Iranian 'mothership' linked to the mysterious drones in New Jersey.
The Shahid Bagheri drone carrier was last seen at its berth in the Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex on November 12, but an image taken 18 days later showed its docking station empty.
That is around the same time New Jersey police started to be inundated with sightings of drones in the skies, flying in clusters and acting strangely.
New Jersey Republican Rep Jeff Van Drew claimed this week there was 'circumstantial evidence’ that Iran's ship was releasing the drones from America's East Coast.
Van Drew said that Iran made a deal with China 'to purchase drones, a mothership and other technologies' for the drone attack on the US, a theory the Pentagon has dismissed.
Drew doubled down on his claims Thursday, saying 'credible individuals that have security clearance... believe there's a real possibility it could be Iran.'
He also argued that the US is not being told the truth and the American public are being treated as 'stupid.'
The 800ft-long Shahid Bagheri has since been spotted on satellite in the open waters of the Persian Gulf. It would take around 13 days for the ship to travel from Iran to America's East Coast.
The militarized cargo ship is allegedly conducting its first sea trials since leaving the nearby Iran Shipyard and Offshore Industries (ISOICO) shipyard.
Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said: 'There's no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called 'mothership' launching drones toward the United States,' said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.
She reiterated the Pentagon does not believe the drones are coming from a foreign adversary but also stated they are not US military drones.
Numerous 'SUV-sized' craft have appeared in the state since mid-November, sometimes appearing in groups and often remaining in the same place for hours at a time, according to eyewitnesses.
The first sightings were over the US Army's Picatinny Arsenal and President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster, which raised concerns the drones were part of spy campaign.
Shahid Bagheri was spotted on December 12 in the open waters near two of Iran's naval ships: Shahid Roudaki and Shahid Mahdavi.
Shahid Roudaki was a merchant ship that was repurposed for military use. It is capable of carrying drones, helicopters and missile launchers.
And Shahid Mahdavi, developed in 2023, was 'designed for long-range operations and is outfitted with missiles, air defense systems, and advanced radar technology.'
White House National Security spokesman John Kirby was pressed about a Van Drew's claim on Thursday, replying the drones not foreign, and they may not even be drones.
'We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,' Kirby told reporters Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI reiterated Kirby's statements in a joint release Thursday saying that there is no national security risk.
'We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,' the statement reads.
But New Jersey State Representative Paul Kanitra (R) questioned this.
'That goes directly against what the federal Department of Homeland Security told us in the briefing Wednesday,' said Kanitra. I couldn’t possibly understand what their motivation is to try and diminish this.'
New Jersey Assemblymember Brian Bergen (R) also hit back at Kirby's claims.
'That guy is an idiot. That I can tell you right now,' Bergen, a former US Army helicopter pilot, said Thursday evening in an interview on Fox News.
