Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday that it had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz, marking another escalation in tensions between Tehran and Washington.
In a statement posted on its official Telegram channel, the IRGC said the drone was intercepted by one of its newly deployed air defense systems after entering the airspace over the strategic waterway.
"An MQ-9 drone was intercepted and shot down by the IRGC's new advanced air defense system over the Strait of Hormuz," the statement said.
The claim comes amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the United States following the collapse of a ceasefire announced earlier this year.
On July 8, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire reached with Iran on the night of June 18 was no longer in effect. Since then, the U.S. military has carried out multiple strikes against Iranian targets. Washington has said the operations were conducted in retaliation for Iranian actions against commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded by launching strikes against U.S. military bases in several countries across the Middle East, while accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement. The exchange has fueled fears of a broader regional confrontation and raised concerns over the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy transit routes.
The United States had not immediately commented on the IRGC's latest claim at the time of publication.
