Skip to main content

IRGC: Drone downing 'message’ against foreign invasion

Iran claims that the US drone it shot down was flying over Iranian territory when hit by a surface-to-air missile.
U.S. Air Force maintainers prepare a U.S. military drone RQ-4A Global Hawk for takeoff at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, December 2, 2010. Picture taken December 2, 2010. Courtesy Eric Harris/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC17D81CAF00

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on the morning of June 20 claiming that it had shot down an American drone over Iranian territory. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the incident shortly thereafter, but disputed Tehran's assertions about its location when struck by an Iranian surface-to air-missile.

The IRGC's media team issued the statement, announcing that a Global Hawk drone had been shot down near Hormozgan province, in the south near the Gulf of Oman, opposite the Mobarak Mountains. Also, according to the statement, the drone had been launched from a US airbase in the Persian Gulf and was flying from the Strait of Hormuz toward the Iranian port city of Chabahar. The IRGC said the drone was collecting information, spying on Iran, when it was shot down in Iranian airspace.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.