Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have intercepted and destroyed a United States military drone over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
According to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency, the IRGC announced on Monday that it shot down a US MQ-1 drone using a newly developed with advanced aerospace air defense system.
In its official statement, the IRGC alleged that the US military was forced to bring the older MQ-1 model back into active service due to "heavy losses" sustained by its newer MQ-9 fleet. The MQ-1, historically dubbed the "Beast of Kandahar" after logging roughly 20,000 flight hours during the war in Afghanistan was officially retired by the US military years ago and replaced by the MQ-9 Reaper.
Iranian military officials asserted that their integrated air defense network is actively and successfully targeting both drone models in the region's airspace.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical and heavily monitored shipping routes for global oil supplies. Military encounters involving drones and naval vessels in this airspace frequently escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The US military has not yet issued a public response confirming or denying the IRGC's claims regarding the downed aircraft.
