Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its claimed tally of U.S. MQ-1 drones downed reached 16 after a Nov. 6 incident over Qeshm Island, where it said a new air defense system was used.
IRNA reported that the IRGC described the aircraft as a reconnaissance-combat drone and attributed its interception and destruction to a new advanced air defense system.
The MQ-9 count is a separate assertion. Anadolu Agency reported an earlier IRGC tally of 56 MQ-9 drones said to have been downed, distinct from the Nov. 6 MQ-1 statement carried by IRNA.
Anadolu also said Iranian authorities had made repeated claims of drone interceptions over Qeshm amid military tensions following the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran that began Feb. 28.
EconoTimes previously covered an earlier IRGC account involving a U.S. MQ-1 said to have been intercepted over Qeshm. The Guard’s Nov. 6 account adds to its stated total for that aircraft type.
