Federal officials on Wednesday rejected claims that the mysterious drones discovered in New Jersey came from an Iranian “mother ship.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, said Wednesday during an appearance on Fox News that the unidentified flying objects in his state’s skies came from an Iranian ship off the country’s east coast – a claim that was denied by the U.S. Department was flatly denied to the defense.

Drew, who sits on the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he had heard from “high sources” that Iran controls the mysterious objects.

“Iran probably launched a mothership containing these drones about a month ago. This mothership is not on the East Coast of the United States of America. “They’ve put drones in everything we can see or hear,” Drew said. “And again these are from high sources. I don’t say that lightly. “

He added that the drones should be “shot down,” whether they come from Iran or people who fly drones as a hobby.

Drew’s comments were strongly rejected by Pentagon spokesman Sabrina Singh on Wednesday.

“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there is no so-called mother ship launching drones into the United States,” she said.

Singh added that there is no evidence that the mysterious flying objects are linked to a foreign entity or are the work of an adversary. U.S. officials, Singh said, will continue to monitor developments on the issue.

Also on Wednesday, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said in a statement that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy should declare a state of emergency and issue an executive order banning recreational drone use at night.

“Residents are increasingly alarmed by the increase in drone activity after dark, raising concerns about public safety and security,” Golden said. “We can’t wait any longer. The Governor must act now and the Air National Guard must step in to protect our communities. Additionally, we call on Congress to immediately pass federal legislation for state police and sheriff’s offices nationwide that would allow them to address this issue. “