Iran Says It Shot Down 16th US MQ-1 Drone Over Qeshm Island

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-1 reconnaissance and combat drone over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

In a statement, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force shot down the drone using an advanced air defense system operating under the country’s integrated air defense network. The IRGC described the incident as the downing of the 16th US MQ-1 drone.

According to figures released by the IRGC, Iranian forces have brought down 16 MQ-1 drones and 56 MQ-9 drones, bringing the claimed total to 72 aircraft of the two types. These figures have not been independently verified.

The IRGC said Iranian forces were continuously monitoring US aerial movements, reconnaissance activities and flight patterns in the area.

Qeshm, Iran’s largest island, is located in the southern province of Hormozgan, near the northern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway connecting the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

Iran has repeatedly reported intercepting US drones over Qeshm and surrounding waters amid ongoing military tensions with Washington.

The incidents come amid continued military tensions between Tehran and Washington following the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began on Feb. 28.

The latest claim has not been independently verified, and the US military has not immediately confirmed the reported drone loss.

Earlier on Friday, the IRGC said that it had brought down two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. In two separate statements, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force used advanced electronic warfare systems to disable the drones over the island, bringing the total number of MQM-170 drones it claimed to have downed to six. The statements did not provide further details about the incidents. Iran previously said it brought down four US MQM-170 drones in the Strait of Hormuz area during the ongoing conflict.

One seafarer was killed in an explosion believed to have been caused by a missile attack on an oil products tanker in the Gulf on Thursday, the ship’s manager said on Friday. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Velos Sapphire was sailing unladen towards Bahrain when it was hit, Greek management firm Velos Tankers said in a statement. The tanker was taken to Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port, and an investigation will be launched while authorities assessed damage to the vessel’s hull.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump to discuss Qatar’s mediation efforts towards a comprehensive agreement to end the regional crisis, a Qatari statement said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, to be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran’s seven demands, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US was reviewing the proposal but declined to provide further details.

Iran will no longer rely solely on written commitments from the US and expects concrete actions before entering a new phase of diplomacy, a senior Iranian security official said on Friday. Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Washington had repeatedly disrupted negotiations by violating its commitments over the past 18 months, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. “Iran must see practical actions by the US with its own eyes,” Bagheri said, adding that a new diplomatic opening would become possible only after such steps were taken.

Bagheri also provided details of Thursday’s meeting between Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying the talks lasted approximately three hours. He said the primary purpose of Rezaei’s visit was to deliver a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei outlining Tehran’s priorities and vision for bilateral cooperation with Russia. The message was intended to clarify the prospects for Iran-Russia relations under Khamenei’s leadership, he added. Bagheri also highlighted strategic projects, including the proposed transfer of Russian natural gas to Iran and the International North-South Transport Corridor, saying they could strengthen economic cooperation and reduce Washington’s ability to pressure Tehran.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.