Iran’s Armed Forces capture US spy drone in Strait of Hormuz
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said its electronic warfare unit has seized an American MQM-170 spy and deception drone and landed it intact in the western Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC Navy’s public relations office said its electronic warfare fighters had successfully carried out an offensive electronic warfare operation, identifying the drone before taking control of its guidance and control systems.
The IRGC Navy successfully brought the drone to the ground intact, it added.
The statement said the drone’s mission was to identify Iran’s air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coastline and the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the IRGC Navy, data retrieved from the aircraft indicated that it had taken off from the coast of one of the southern Persian Gulf littoral states.
Earlier, the IRGC Aerospace Force said it had intercepted and destroyed an advanced MQ-1 drone belonging to the US military over the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said the aircraft was brought down using the Aerospace Force’s new air-defense system operating under the control of Iran’s Integrated Air-Defense Network.
The latest capture comes amid a sharp escalation between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints.