Iran Revolutionary Guards Claim to Shoot Down US Drone in Iranian Airspace

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on May 31 it shot down a US MQ-1 drone after it entered Iranian airspace. The claim adds to reports of limited military clashes even as the US and Iran continue peace negotiations.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency and other local media cited the Revolutionary Guards as saying the drone entered Iranian airspace for hostile operations and was immediately intercepted by an air defense missile.

The statement came five days after the Revolutionary Guards accused the US of violating a ceasefire agreement. At the time, it said Iran had a legitimate and firm right to respond.

The US military carried out an airstrike on a military facility in a port city in southern Iran on May 25. US Central Command described the strike as a defensive measure. Spokesman Tim Hawkins said it was intended to protect US forces from Iranian threats.

The Revolutionary Guards have made similar claims before. On May 26, it said it had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone and fired warning shots at an F-35 fighter jet. It made a similar claim again on May 29, saying it had downed a US aircraft near Bushehr.

US Central Command rejected the May 29 claim, saying no US aircraft had been shot down and that all air assets were accounted for.

Han Gyeong-woo, Hankyung.com reporter case@hankyung.com