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Drone downed in East Azerbaijan
Iran’s Army said it shot down a hostile suicide drone over East Azerbaijan Province, with its public relations department announcing the interception at 18:30 local time on Tuesday.
“Wednesday, 22/07/2026 ArEnFrEs [](http://almanar”
Mehr News Agency said the drone was destroyed under the command of the unified national air defense network, and Press TV was cited in describing the downing as part of Iran’s air-defense record during the US-Israeli war of aggression.
The same Mehr News Agency account said that in a single 24-hour period on April 3, 2026, Iranian forces downed an F-15E Strike Eagle, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones, Hermes reconnaissance platforms, and a salvo of cruise missiles.
PressTV also described the downing as occurring over the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, and said it was the latest in a series of successful interceptions by Iran’s integrated air defense network.
The Army’s public relations office in another report said: "At 6:30 p.m. today, a single enemy suicide drone was intercepted and shot down" over East Azerbaijan Province.
Competing claims and framing
Iranian media accounts tied the interception to the Army’s air-defense systems operating under the country’s integrated air defense network, with PressTV saying the drone was destroyed under the command of the unified national air defense network.
Al-Manar TV Lebanon reported an Iranian Army claim that it "successfully shot down an enemy suicide drone" in the airspace of East Azerbaijan province about 6 hours ago.
Mehr News Agency and PressTV both described Iran’s air-defense forces as having destroyed hundreds of advanced enemy drones since the war began, including MQ-9 Reapers, Hermes, and LUCAS models operated by US and Israeli forces.
In the same Mehr News Agency account, Iran’s acting defense minister said Iran made breakthroughs in air defense technology during the war, enabling its armed forces to target more than 200 enemy aircraft, including the US-made F-35 Lightning II.
A separate report from عصر ایران likewise framed the event as an Army Air Defense Force action, stating: 'At 6:30 p.m. today, a single enemy suicide drone, after being tracked and successfully fired upon by the Army's air defense forces, was hit and destroyed'.
What Iran says is at stake
The accounts place the East Azerbaijan interception within a broader Iran-US conflict narrative, with Mehr News Agency and PressTV citing Iranian military statements about aerial victories and targeting of more than 200 enemy aircraft.
“Iran's Army Air Defense Force has shot down a hostile suicide drone over the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, the latest in a series of successful interceptions by the country's integrated air defense network against enemy aircraft”
Mehr News Agency said Iran’s acting defense minister claimed breakthroughs in air defense technology during the war, enabling armed forces to target more than 200 enemy aircraft including the US-made F-35 Lightning II.
خبرگزاری دفاع مقدس dated its report to 30 Tir 1405 - 21:19 - July 21, 2026, and said a hostile aggressor suicide drone was engaged and shot down at 18:30 under the national integrated air defense network in the skies of East Azerbaijan Province.
The same report described the incident as a single drone destruction and included a news code: 849798, while also describing the event as occurring after the drone was tracked and shot down by the Army’s Air Defense Forces’ systems.
In the wider set of claims included alongside the East Azerbaijan reports, PressTV and Mehr News Agency asserted that air defense units have destroyed hundreds of advanced enemy drones since the war began, including MQ-9 Reapers, Hermes, and LUCAS models.
