Iranupdated 33m ago3 min read
MapIRGC Shoots Down Sixth US MQM-170 Drone Over Qeshm Island
“the US Central Command dismissed it as false.”
“The 55th advanced MQ-9 drone was tracked and brought down over the airspace east of the Strait of Hormuz”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
IRGC downed the sixth US MQM-170 drone over Qeshm Island. IRGC captured two MQM-170 drones south of Qeshm with electronic warfare.
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Qeshm Drone and Mine Incident
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it shot down the sixth US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone over Qeshm Island, and the Iranian Navy’s Public Relations Department said a rogue oil tanker traveling in an unsafe area east of the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after hitting a naval mine. The Al-Manar TV Lebanon report said the tanker had turned off its detection and navigation systems, and it said the incident was stopped after the mine strike. The Vietnam.vn account described a series of explosions that rocked Qeshm on the night of November 2, with explosions also reported in the nearby port city of Bandar Lengeh.
The Vietnam.vn account added that American officials said Iranian forces had previously fired missiles at a U.S. aircraft, prompting American fighter jets to retaliate by attacking an Iranian surface-to-air missile launcher. The Al-Manar TV Lebanon report also said the IRGC announced it shot down the sixth US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone over Qeshm Island, while the Iranian Navy’s Public Relations Department reported the mine-related tanker fire east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Competing Drone Claims
The IRGC announced it captured two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm Island using advanced electronic warfare systems of the IRGC Aerospace Force, and it said the number of US MQM-170 drones under IRGC control reached four. The IRGC also announced it shot down another US MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle east of the Strait of Hormuz, and the statement said the total number of MQ-9 drones shot down reached 55. The US Central Command dismissed the IRGC drone claims as false, and the Pentagon had not confirmed the Iranian accounts.
US media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, AP, Axios and CNN said the US Central Command destroyed an IRGC missile launcher on Qeshm after an attack on a US aircraft, citing unnamed military sources. The Economic Times reported that Vance told Fox News in Minnesota that the President and he felt “pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement,” while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation.
Talks, Blockade, and Escalation
Qatari-mediated talks continued in Doha, with both sides exchanging messages through intermediaries but reporting no breakthrough, and Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told that Hormuz could not reopen until the US naval blockade ends. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei maintained that responsibility for advancing negotiations rested with the United States, reiterating Tehran’s demand for an end to the US naval blockade. The US struck Bandar Abbas and Qeshm, and it described 5 explosions recorded specifically on Qeshm, while it also said the IRGC announced it destroyed a 55th MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The Al-Manar TV Lebanon report said the IRGC announced shooting down the sixth US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone over Qeshm Island, and it placed the announcement alongside the Iranian Navy’s account of a tanker fire after hitting a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz. The Vietnam.vn account said Washington described its operation as limited in scope and defensive, aimed at protecting American forces, while it also described Iranian and US hints that a deal may be possible as the explosions and strikes unfolded.