Iran claims to shoot down MQ-9 drone over Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Monday that it had shot down an MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz amid rising military escalation with the US.

In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the IRGC said the US-made MQ-9 drone was intercepted and hit by air defense systems over the strategic waterway.

There was no immediate US comment on the claim.

Between July 8 and July 24, the US and Iran exchanged military strikes, with Washington attacking targets inside Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, particularly Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The escalation followed a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June and the launch of negotiations toward a final agreement. The talks later stalled over disagreements on security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategic routes for global energy supplies and trade.