The unmanned U.S. spy plane was deep inside Iran's airspace, flying over an eastern town famous for Persian carpets and saffron when it was downed by Iranian armed forces, state radio reported Wednesday. 
 
 The report said the stealth-version of the RQ-170 drone was detected by Iranian forces over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan. 
 
 "The U.S. smart plane was captured by Iranian anti-aircraft units somewhere in the sky over Kashmar in the east of the country," the radio said. It did not speculate as to why the drone flew over the town, which lies in an agricultural area known for the production of saffron and Persian carpets. 
 
 The radio added that Iran will "soon" broadcast video footage of the downed drone. 
 
 Iran first reported the downing on Sunday but did not say when the incident happened. At the time, the official IRNA news agency said Iran's armed forces had shot it down _ a claim later rejected by U.S. officials who said the drone crashed over the weekend but that there was no indication it had been shot down. 
 
 Meanwhile, U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss classified information, have said the drone had spied on Iran for years from a U.S. air base in Afghanistan. 
 
 According to these officials, the U.S. built up the air base in Shindad, Afghanistan, with an eye to keeping a long-term presence there to launch surveillance missions and even special operations missions into Iran if deemed necessary. 
 
 The RQ-170 _ known as the Sentinel _ has been used in Afghanistan for several years. It gained notoriety earlier this year when officials disclosed that one was used to keep watch on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan as the raid that killed him was taking place. 
 
 On Wednesday, Iran's hardline Kayhan daily quoted an unnamed military expert as saying Iranian forces did not shoot down the drone. The expert, though, said the Iranian military is capable of bringing it down in such a way that the "body of the plane and its parts remain intact." 
 
 Another conservative daily, Mellat, said Iran may transfer intelligence from the drone to regional allies Syria and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group. 
 
 Iran confirmed for the first time in 2005 that the U.S. has been flying surveillance drones over its airspace to spy on its nuclear and military facilities. 
 
 In January, Tehran said two pilotless spy planes shot down over its airspace were operated by the U.S., and in July, media said Iranian military officials showed Russian experts several U.S. drones reportedly shot down in recent years. 
 
 Faced with international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program, Iran has been trying to build up its own military technology. 
 
 It unveiled its first domestically built unmanned bomber in 2010, calling the aircraft an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies. Two year earlier, Tehran announced it had built an unmanned aircraft with a range of more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers), far enough to reach Israel. 
 
 Both Israel and the United States have not ruled out a military option against Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West suspects aim to make atomic weapons _ a charge Iran denies. 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP's Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report from Washington. ||||| Iran's media is reporting the country has produced a domestically-made drone capable of hovering in midair. 
 
 The Sunday report by several newspapers including the conservative Resalat says an advanced vertical take-off and landing or VTOL drone will be displayed in February. 
 
 Resalat quoted Abbas Jam, who is director of the project, as saying that the drone can also fly in silence. 
 
 Earlier in October Iran said it obtained images of sensitive Israeli bases taken by a drone that was launched by Lebanon's Hezbollah movement that month and downed by Israel. 
 
 Iran says other drones made dozens of apparently undetected flights into Israeli airspace from Lebanon in recent years. Israel has rejected that. 
 
 Iran frequently claims breakthroughs in military technology and other achievements. Most are impossible to independently confirm.
– Iran has been making increasing noises about its drone program, and Tehran's latest sabre-rattling says that it now has an advanced drone that can take off vertically, ie, without a runway. As Reuters reports by way of Iranian state media, a lead researcher claimed that the drone would be tested yesterday and "unveiled" next year, adding that the drone "enjoys ultra-advanced technology and has been built for the first time in the world." The drone is reportedly also capable of hovering in mid-air, and is silent, adds the AP. Iran earlier this week claimed it had drones far more advanced than Hezbollah's.