In brief
Iran’s army says it destroyed a US MQ‑9 over Qeshm, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims 72 drones (both MQ‑1 and MQ‑9) have been downed, and the Times of Israel reports an MQ‑1 was shot down, highlighting conflicting reports.
Iran’s army announced on 17 July 2014 that it had destroyed a U.S. MQ‑9 drone over the waters near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, using its integrated air‑defence system. The announcement was reported by the Russian news agency TASS, which cited an Iranian army statement.
Army statement
Tass reported that the Iranian news agency Tasnim quoted an army spokesperson who claimed: “A few minutes ago, an enemy MQ‑9 drone of the US aggressor was shot down by the fire from the army’s modern air‑defence systems of the country’s integrated air‑defence system in the skies over Qeshm and destroyed.” The quotation referred to the aircraft as an “enemy weapon” and described the drone as being shot down by the army’s modern air‑defence system.
According to Tasnim, a photograph from Getty Images showing the wreckage of the drone was also published alongside the statement.
Earlier that week, Iranian media citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released figures indicating that its forces had downed 16 MQ‑1 and 56 MQ‑9 drones, a claimed total of 72 aircraft over Qeshm Island.
In a related report, the Times of Israel relayed that Iranian air defenses had destroyed a U.S. MQ‑1 drone over Qeshm Island, but did not provide confirmation from Iranian officials.
The reports differ on the type of drone intercepted, with TASS referring to an MQ‑9 and the IRGC and Times of Israel citing an MQ‑1, highlighting conflicting accounts surrounding the incident.
