IRGC says it downed US MQ-1 drone over Qeshm island

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement issued by its Public Relations Department that its forces shot down a US MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle over Qeshm island. The statement described the aircraft as the 16th US MQ-1 drone to be brought down by Iran.

According to the IRGC, the interception was carried out by an advanced air defense system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force as part of the country's integrated air defense network. The statement said IRGC forces continuously monitor what it described as enemy aerial movements and track the reconnaissance activities and flight patterns of such aircraft.

The IRGC further described the repeated failures of what it called enemy reconnaissance missions as a setback for the command of Brad Cooper. The statement did not provide additional details on the timing of the incident or the specific location beyond Qeshm island.

The announcement is the latest in a series of IRGC statements concerning the interception of foreign unmanned aircraft near Iranian territory. Qeshm island lies in the Strait of Hormuz area, a waterway of significant strategic importance for regional and international shipping.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the reported interception, and US officials have not publicly commented on the IRGC statement. According to Mehr News, the IRGC statement was issued by its Public Relations Department and carried no further operational details.