TEHRAN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have captured a US “spy and deception” drone west of the Strait of Hormuz, the IRNA news agency reported.In a statement, the IRGC Navy said fighters from its Electronic Warfare Unit “succeeded in safely landing an American terrorist army spy and deception drone (MQM-170) west of the Strait of Hormuz”.“The mission of this drone was to identify the air defense systems of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the coastal strip of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.“Based on the information retrieved from this aircraft by the IRGC Navy specialists, it was determined that the origin of the flight of this aircraft was on the coast of one of the countries on the southern edge of the Gulf.”Earlier, the IRGC announced the downing of an MQ-1 drone in airspace east of the Strait of Hormuz.The IRGC said the drone was the 14th MQ-1 to be intercepted and destroyed by its air defense system.The MQ-1 drone is an American-made unmanned aerial vehicle.The incident comes amid growing signs of a possible new round of US and Israeli offensive action against Iran.The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Washington had told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a “short, intense military campaign” against Tehran after the Nov. 3 US midterm elections.US President Donald Trump has not made a final decision but is leaning toward a large post-election attack, according to the report.The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
