Iranian air defense shoots down third US drone over Strait of Hormuz, regime claims - report

Iran's state broadcaster IRIB claims its air defense shot down a third US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The report follows earlier claims by Al Jazeera that the IRGC downed a US drone. Separately, CENTCOM reported that the IRGC attempted to steal a US Navy drone on Monday, and the US destroyed two Iranian boats in response.

Iran's state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), claimed on Tuesday that the country's air defense shot down a US military MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. According to IRIB, this would be the third US drone shot down by Iran on Tuesday. Earlier, the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had shot down a US MQ-1 drone over the same waterway. In a separate development, Axios reported, citing US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins, that the IRGC on Monday attempted to steal a US Navy drone patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkins stated that CENTCOM forcefully responded, the drone remains under US control, and the US destroyed two Iranian small boats in the incident. Iranian media presented the destruction of the boats as attacks on fishing boats.