Photo courtesy of Anadolu
Iran’s military said it shot down a United States drone over Bandar Abbas on Monday, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Citing an army statement, Mehr reported that Iranian air defense units detected and intercepted what was described as a hostile Lucas-type drone near Hajiabad in Hormozgan province.
The military said the aircraft was brought down while air defense forces were responding to what it described as enemy attacks and protecting the country’s airspace.
The announcement came hours after the United States launched another round of strikes on military and infrastructure sites in Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan provinces, as well as rail links connecting Tehran and Mashhad.
Iran later announced missile and drone attacks targeting US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Tehran accused Washington of violating a memorandum of understanding reached on June 17 through Pakistan’s mediation.
The United States had not immediately commented on Iran’s claim regarding the reported drone interception.
The latest developments marked another escalation in tensions between Tehran and Washington.