Credit : BRICS NEWS
TEHRAN, November 3 – Iran says its air defences shot down a United States military MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, as shared by BRICS News on X.
In a statement on Monday (November 2), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force had intercepted and destroyed the MQ-9 east of the Strait of Hormuz, according to IRGC-affiliated media cited by Iran International and other outlets.
The IRGC said the operation was carried out by a modern air-defence system under the control of the country’s integrated air-defence network. It described the aircraft as the 55th MQ-9 destroyed by its forces since the start of the latest conflict.
In a separate statement, the IRGC said it had used electronic warfare systems to bring down two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm Island, saying this brought to four the number of drones of that type it had captured.
There was no immediate confirmation from the US military, according to Iran International. The claims could not be independently verified.
According to Mehr News Agency, the IRGC Aerospace Force said in its statement on Monday night that Iran now possesses four drones of the MQM-170 model. Yemen’s Saba news agency, carrying the same IRGC statements, said the MQ-9 was destroyed in the skies east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Breaking The News reported that the IRGC public relations department described the drone as “advanced” and the air-defence system used as “modern”. The IRGC did not release images of any wreckage or further operational details.
The MQ-9 Reaper is a long-endurance unmanned aircraft used by the US military for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions.
The IRGC made a similar claim on October 20, when it said it had shot down what it described as the 54th MQ-9 over the waterway. The US did not confirm that incident either.
The latest claim came on the same day that US and Iranian officials signalled progress in indirect negotiations. US Vice President JD Vance said Washington had held a number of good conversations with Iran, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks through mediators were intensive.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a revised proposal developed through mediation could allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen within two days if Washington accepts Iran’s conditions. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the offer as an indication of Iran’s good-faith approach.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said on Monday that he was in no rush to decide on resuming military action against Iran, and replied “No” when asked whether he was considering strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Neither the Pentagon nor US Central Command had commented publicly on the latest IRGC claim at the time of writing.
The IRGC said the latest interception showed that the United States had once again failed to achieve its goals with such aircraft, according to its statement carried by Saba.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important routes for energy shipments, and disruption there has pushed up global oil prices this year.
Source: BRICS News on X
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