US surveillance drone intercepted near Qeshm Island, IRGC reports

17th US Air Force surveillance drone was shot down today by Iranian air defenses over Qeshm Island.

The press office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced through Iranian media today that a surveillance aircraft, which had been loitering over Qeshm, the largest Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, had been taken down.

According to the IRGC, the aircraft was a US military MQ-1 surveillance drone. It was detected and shot down by units of the Iranian armed forces tasked with air defense in the Strait of Hormuz.

The press service noted that this is the 17th US Air Force MQ-1 drone destroyed by the IRGC since the onset of the current conflict, which began on February 28.

The incident, which points to ongoing US preparations for potential new strikes against Iran, occurred at approximately 14:00 Moscow time.