IRGC Disables MQM-170 Drone Over Qeshm Island, Says It Shot Down 68 American Drones

Drones in Hormuz Skies

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said “advanced electronic warfare systems belonging to the IRGC Aerospace Force managed to disable an enemy American MQM-170 reconnaissance drone in the skies over Qeshm Island,” and it said the drone “has fallen into the hands of elite IRGC officers for a second time.” The IRGC also announced that it had shot down 68 American drones over the Strait of Hormuz, including the destruction of 54 MQ-9 aircraft and 14 MQ-1 aircraft, with the latest drone shot down at dawn on Thursday, October 29, east of the strait off the coast of "Sirik". The IRGC Navy said it seized an American unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, and it described an “offensive and successful operation” by its electronic warfare unit that intercepted and downed an MQ-170 surveillance aircraft west of the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC Navy said the drone was detected and its guidance and control systems were taken over, and it said the aircraft’s mission was to monitor Iranian air defense systems along the Gulf coast and the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC Navy added that the information extracted from the aircraft indicated that its launch point was from the coast of one of the southern shores of the Gulf.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Manar TV Lebanon

Oil Tankers, Warnings, Diplomacy

The IRGC Navy said there were explosions and fires on three oil tankers described as illicit after colliding with sea mines south of the Strait within the last 24 hours, and it attributed the incident to the three tankers ignoring warnings from Iranian forces. The IRGC Navy said the unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz contains sea mines, and it urged ship owners not to pay attention to what it described as the myths of the US Central Command on social media regarding the Strait. The Iranian army stated that the Strait of Hormuz lies under the strategic control of the Iranian armed forces, and it said it will never be opened until Iran's conditions are fully met.

Two American diplomats told The Associated Press that American officials informed several Middle Eastern countries and regional allies of the need to be prepared for the possibility of renewed military operations against Iran after the midterm elections in the United States next week. The diplomats said President Donald Trump has not made a final decision about launching new strikes against Iran, but repeatedly indicated that he is weighing the option of taking a new military action once the decisive election scheduled for November 3 in the United States has ended.

U.S. Posture and Iranian Response

The IRGC Navy stressed that it will firmly confront any provocative act backed by the American military that ignores the regulations in force in the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said the air force–space defense system, operating within the country’s integrated air defense network, took on the task of countering the aircraft it described as vital American equipment for reconnaissance missions and operations.

The IRGC Navy said it will firmly confront any provocative act, while the Iranian army said the Strait of Hormuz will never be opened until Iran's conditions are fully met.

The U.S. Department of Defense sent the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, along with a group of amphibious ships carrying Marines totaling about 9,000 troops, from San Diego to the Arabian Gulf region to bolster the U.S. military presence in the area.

The Associated Press reported that the White House and American officials declined to comment on these reports, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and is working with mediators to review ideas raised as part of last month's proposal.