Iran’s army says it downed MQ-1 drone east of Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Thursday, citing the force. The IRGC said the drone was the 14th MQ-1 to be intercepted and destroyed by its air defense system. According to ISNA, the incident took place in the skies east of the Strait of Hormuz, opposite the coastal area of Sirik. The MQ-1 drone is a US-made unmanned aerial vehicle, although the IRGC did not specify the drone’s operator in its statement.
Separately, the IRGC Navy said three oil tankers struck mines and caught fire over the past 24 hours after ignoring warnings and attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorized” southern route. According to ISNA, the IRGC Navy said the tankers had “switched off their radar and navigation systems before the explosions and fires.” It said the vessels were abandoned off the southern coasts of the Strait of Hormuz. In a separate statement, the IRGC Navy said its electronic warfare unit had forced an American MQM-170 spy and decoy drone to land intact in the western Strait of Hormuz.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports the IRGC Navy's account that three tankers hit mines on an "unauthorized" southern route. It does not say that US Central Command had insisted the primary transit routes were cleared of mines, or that the IRGC spokesman publicly challenged that claim. Without this, a reader does not know that the state of the mines in the strait is disputed between the two sides.
How we know
- Al Arabiya English reported“a day after the US military insisted it had demined key routes through the waterway”Iran’s IRGC says three tankers on fire after hitting mines in Hormuz (opens in a new tab)
The incidents come amid growing signs of a possible new round of US and Israeli offensive action against Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Washington had told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a “short, intense military campaign” against Tehran after the Nov. 3 US midterm elections. US President Donald Trump has not made a final decision but is leaning toward a large post-election attack, according to the report.
The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. A memorandum of understanding signed in June to pave the way for a final peace deal later collapsed amid disagreements, including over navigation in the strait.
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