IRGC says it landed US MQM-170 drone intact west of Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it landed a United States MQM-170 reconnaissance drone intact in what it described as an offensive electronic warfare operation west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement carried by Mehr News Agency.

In the statement, the IRGC said the drone's mission was to conduct reconnaissance of the Islamic Republic of Iran's air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coastline and the Strait of Hormuz. The force did not give the date or precise location of the operation, and no further operational details were released.

The IRGC said specialists from its Navy examined data recovered from the drone and concluded that its flight had originated from the coast of one of the southern littoral states of the Persian Gulf. The statement did not name the state in question, and the claim could not be independently verified.

The MQM-170 is a target and reconnaissance drone design used by US forces. The IRGC statement presented the incident as the result of an electronic warfare operation rather than a kinetic interception, saying the aircraft was brought down intact.

There was no immediate public comment from US officials on the IRGC account. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of global oil shipments passes, has repeatedly been the scene of encounters between Iranian forces and US military assets in recent years.

Mehr News Agency reported the IRGC statement and the findings attributed to its Navy specialists.