Iran says it shot down an American MQ-1 over Qeshm Island

IRGC statement on drone interception

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that its Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed an American MQ-1 reconnaissance and combat drone over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRNA news agency reported this, citing an IRGC statement, as relayed by the Turkish outlet Anadolu. According to the IRGC, the drone was shot down by an 'advanced air defense system' operating as part of the country's unified integrated air defense network.

Statistics and context

The IRGC described the incident as the destruction of the 16th American MQ-1 drone. According to figures provided by the Corps, Iranian forces have shot down a total of 16 MQ-1 and 56 MQ-9 drones — 72 unmanned aircraft of these two types in all. The Corps also stated that it continuously monitors American aviation movements, reconnaissance activity, and flight patterns in the region. Qeshm is Iran's largest island, located in Hormozgan Province near the northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. Iran has previously reported multiple interceptions of American drones over Qeshm and the surrounding waters. The statement comes amid ongoing military tensions between Tehran and Washington following the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began on February 28. No confirmation from the US side is provided in the report, so the figures on the number of downed drones remain one-sided Iranian statistics.