TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has shot down another US reconnaissance and combat drone over the Persian Gulf, while the Iranian Navy has reported that two oil tankers separately caught fire after striking sea mines in a restricted maritime zone east of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement released on Saturday, the IRGC announced that its Aerospace units had destroyed a US MQ-1-series drone over Qeshm Island using an advanced air defense system.
The downing marked the 17th US MQ-1 drone destroyed by the IRGC, according to the statement, which described the incident as another failure of US reconnaissance operations along Iran’s maritime borders.
The IRGC also reported that its forces had so far destroyed 56 US MQ-9 drones, bringing the total number of MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones downed to 73.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Navy announced that two oil tankers had separately struck sea mines and caught fire in a prohibited area east of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to statements issued by the Navy’s public relations office on Saturday, the two incidents occurred after the vessels entered the restricted maritime zone despite prior warnings from Iranian authorities.
The Navy said one of the tankers was sailing through the designated unsafe area early Saturday morning while its tracking and identification systems were switched off. The vessel subsequently struck a sea mine, caught fire and was disabled.
In a separate announcement, the Navy reported that another tanker had met the same fate after hitting a naval mine in the restricted waters.
The Iranian Navy stressed that the eastern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz remained under its full control and surveillance, warning that vessels attempting to enter prohibited waters while disabling their tracking systems would face serious consequences.
It also cautioned tanker owners against risking their vessels and investments by disregarding Iranian warnings and relying on 'unfounded statements' by the US president.
The Navy further warned that any vessel violating navigation restrictions and entering the designated minefield would be exposed to the risk of fire and explosion.