Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that it had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz, saying the aircraft was intercepted by the country's air defence systems.

According to Iran's state media, the IRGC said the US unmanned aerial vehicle was brought down during a flight over the strategically important waterway earlier in the day.

In a statement carried by Iranian media outlets, the IRGC said the drone was intercepted by the Aerospace Force's air defence units, describing it as the 54th US MQ-9 Reaper allegedly shot down by Iran.

Iranian media reports successful interception

Iranian media reported that the drone was targeted by what the IRGC described as a newly developed air defence system. No further operational details, including the exact location of the incident or the condition of the wreckage, were immediately released.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle used by the US military for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions.

The United States had not officially confirmed the incident at the time of publication.

Neither the Pentagon nor US Central Command (CENTCOM) had issued a statement confirming or denying Iran's claim that an American MQ-9 drone had been shot down over the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest claim comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining one of the world's most strategically significant maritime corridors for global energy shipments.(ILKHA)