IRGC shoots down US MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Iran

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced on Thursday that it had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Iran. According to the IRGC public relations office, the drone was intercepted and destroyed by modern air defense units as it approached from the northern Persian Gulf with the intent of entering the combat zone. The aircraft was brought down over the sky of Jam, a town in southern Bushehr province.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a long-endurance, hunter-killer drone used extensively by the U.S. military for both surveillance and precision strike missions. The incident marks another escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States, which have been heightened since the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of sanctions.

This is not the first time Iran has downed a US drone. In June 2019, Iran shot down a US RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone, claiming it had violated Iranian airspace. The US denied the violation and said the drone was in international airspace. The latest incident is likely to further strain relations between the two countries.

According to Mehr News Agency, the IRGC statement did not provide details on the exact location or time of the interception, but confirmed that the drone was destroyed before it could enter Iranian airspace. The report added that the IRGC remains vigilant against any potential threats to Iran's territorial integrity.