Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement about a U.S.-made MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle that was flying over the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said its air defense system detected, targeted and shot down the aircraft.
Features of the MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle
The MQ-1, developed in the United States in the 1990s, was initially designed for advanced surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Camera and missile systems were later added to the aircraft.
Rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
The United States has recently targeted some locations in Iran with military strikes, while negotiations between the two countries have stalled over a dispute regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, the government in Tehran carried out attacks on military facilities and equipment in some Arab countries that it said belonged to the United States. Iran said some of the attacks had killed civilians and damaged civilian facilities. The countries targeted condemned the attacks and called for them to end.
Iran’s statement claimed that the United States and Israel had started a war against Iran on February 28. The government in Tehran said more than 3,000 people had been killed in the clashes and announced that U.S. and Israeli citizens had also died in Iran’s attacks.