Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday it brought down a U.S. MQ-9 over the Strait of Hormuz, as security disagreements continue to hold up a U.S.-Iran navigation memorandum.
Anadolu reported that the semi-official Fars news agency carried the Guard’s account. It said the Guard’s stated tally of destroyed U.S. MQ-9s reached 54 with this downing.
Anadolu traced the conflict’s start to Feb. 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran. The agency said Iranian missile and drone strikes then reached across the region and Iran effectively shut the strait. U.S. naval forces later blockaded Iranian ports, Anadolu reported.
In separate remarks, IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said new targets and weapons would be announced while referring to internet cables beneath the strait, as EconoTimes reported previously. He did not explicitly say the cables were targets.
Anadolu reported that the United States and Iran signed a June memorandum addressing navigation through the strait. The agency said security disagreements have delayed its implementation.
