Press TV, on Iran, 25 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.5 findings

Iran’s Army has intercepted and shot down a LUCAS drone belonging to the US military operating illegally over southern Iran.

The Iranian Army’s Public Relations Department said on Sunday that the Army’s air defense systems, operating under the country’s integrated air defense network, hit and shot down a US LUCAS drone over Bandar Abbas, a city close to the Strait of Hormuz.

Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture

The article never says that the US had not confirmed losing a LUCAS drone or responded to the Iranian claim. Without it, a reader believes the shootdown is undisputed and verified.

How we know

The Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, is a one-way attack drone. Its design is a copy of Iran’s HESA Shahed-136. The cost of the drone is claimed to be $35,000 per unit.

This is not the first LUCAS drone that Iranian forces have shot down. Another LUCAS drone was also shot down by the Army in July while flying over southern Iran.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said its air defense forces had intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper long-endurance drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of the General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, made the remarks on Saturday, while speaking about , adding, “The US president must only dream of their military and army entering the Persian Gulf again. They will take this wish to their graves.”

The latest drone presence over Iranian territory comes amid , reached after 40 days of US-Israeli war on Iran.

The US and waged their first war of aggression against Iran, which lasted 12 days, in June 2025. Their second aggression began on February 28, 2026, and came to a halt in early April after 40 days.

Read the original article on presstv.ir (opens in a new tab)
What we found (5)

Press TV's headline states that the Iranian Army shot down a US LUCAS drone without the attribution its body gives, and the article does not mention that the US had not confirmed or responded. In its own voice it asserts repeated US violations of the Islamabad memorandum without a source or an example, describes US efforts in the Strait as unsuccessful, and calls Israel's government "the Israeli regime".

  1. Headline goes beyond the article

    Minor

    “Iranian Army intercepts, shoots down US LUCAS drone over Bandar Abbas”

    Why this matters
    The headline states the interception and shootdown as established fact, with no attribution.
    The impression it gives
    The reader believes the shootdown is a confirmed event.
    The context
    The body's only source is a statement by the Iranian Army's public relations department. Other outlets report it as the army's claim and note that the US has not confirmed losing a LUCAS or responded.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

  2. States one side's claim as fact

    Minor

    “Washington’s repeated violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)”

    Why this matters
    Press TV states in its own voice that Washington has repeatedly violated the memorandum. It names no source and gives no instance.
    The impression it gives
    The reader takes repeated US violations of the agreement as established fact.
    The context
    The article attributes this to no one and gives no example. The other coverage mentions a ceasefire and an agreement to finalise a peace deal, but none reports violations.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

  3. States one side's claim as fact

    Minor

    “unsuccessful US attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz”

    Why this matters
    Press TV describes US attempts in the Strait as unsuccessful in its own narration, not as the general's view.
    The impression it gives
    The reader takes the failure of US efforts in the Strait as a settled fact.
    The context
    This is the subject of Major General Abdollahi's remarks. The article gives no independent basis for it.

    Show it in the article

  4. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “the Israeli regime”

    Why this matters
    Press TV calls the Israeli government "the Israeli regime" in its own narration.
    The impression it gives
    The reader receives a verdict on the government's legitimacy as plain description.
    The context
    The term is unattributed. The article itself refers to the US by name, not as a regime, in the same sentence.

    Show it in the article

  5. Leaves out what changes the picture

    Minor

    What is missing

    The article never says that the US had not confirmed losing a LUCAS drone or responded to the Iranian claim. Without it, a reader believes the shootdown is undisputed and verified.

    How we know

    Show where it belongs

How other outlets reported it

Spot something we missed? Report this article

More from Press TV

  1. 25 OctIran3.0
  2. 25 OctIran3.0
  3. 25 OctQalibaf: Any violation of Iran’s territory will trigger response ‘beyond enemy’s imagination’3.0
  4. 25 OctIran’s Baghaei exposes US hypocrisy as Rubio forgets Trump’s ‘pirates’ boast over ship seizures7.3
  5. 25 Oct‘Nothing will be the same’: Araghchi says Hormuz management will never return to pre-war era6.0

Everything we scored from Press TV

See how 11 outlets covered this story