Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that its forces shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone and opened fire on an F-35 fighter jet, claiming the actions were a defensive response to violations of the ceasefire with the United States. The IRGC said in a statement that it had also fired upon an RQ-4 drone that was attempting to enter Iranian airspace.
The incident comes shortly after US forces carried out a series of strikes in southern Iran, which the American military said targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines in the Strait of Hormuz. A CENTCOM spokesperson, Tim Hawkins, said the strikes were conducted in self-defence to protect US troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.
According to the IRGC, the downing of the MQ-9 Reaper and the engagement with the F-35 occurred after the US strikes, with Iran asserting a “legitimate and definite” right to respond to any ceasefire violation. The MQ-9 Reaper is among the most advanced and expensive drones in the US arsenal, with each unit costing between $30 million and $35 million.
Iran’s military is believed to have destroyed around 30 MQ-9 Reapers since the conflict began, resulting in losses exceeding $1 billion and reducing the American fleet of these drones by more than 20%. The ceasefire between the US and Iran came into effect on April 8, with both sides agreeing to a 40-day pause in hostilities, while peace talks are reportedly under way in Qatar.
