Obama: We've Asked Iran to Give Us Our Drone Back. Iran: Finders Keepers.

Way to get tough, Mr. President.

President Barack Obama is pressing his request that Iran return the U.S. surveillance drone captured by the country’s armed forces.

Obama said he would not comment “on intelligence matters that are classified.” But, he said during a White House news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the U.S. wants the top-secret aircraft back. “We have asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond,” Obama said.

Well, here’s how the Iranians responded.

Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Guard, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the violation of Iran’s airspace by the U.S. drone was a “hostile act” and warned of a “bigger” response. He did not elaborate on what Tehran might do.

“No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence related to the national security of a country,” Salami said.

Iranian television broadcast video Thursday of Iranian military officials inspecting what it identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel drone.

Unless that thing has a self-destruct mechanism and we’re just waiting for word that Mad Mahmoud is taking a personal look at it before pushing the button, Iran now has one of the most advanced aircraft in our inventory, intact, and the president has publicly confirmed that they have it. He reportedly rejected three proposals to get the drone back or destroy it.

So, Merry Christmas, Iran, love, Barack Obama.