Iran downs two US drones south of Qeshm Island, says IRGC

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Monday that its Aerospace Force had neutralized two US drones south of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation employed electronic warfare systems to prevent the MQM-170 aircraft from completing their missions, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The report brings to four the number of American drones of that type reportedly captured by Iranian forces this month. Tasnim provided no further operational details regarding the timing of the engagement.

Pattern of incidents

The announcement follows similar claims by Iranian forces in recent days. On Friday, state-run IRNA reported that the IRGC Aerospace Force had downed an identical drone over Qeshm Island using electronic countermeasures, while the IRGC Navy announced Thursday it had seized control of another MQM-170 in the western Strait of Hormuz and landed it intact.

The US military has rejected Tehran's account of the Thursday incident.

Diplomatic channels

The incidents come amid ongoing indirect diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed Monday that the two countries continue to exchange messages through mediators, adding that Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi recently traveled to Doha to facilitate the Qatari-brokered discussions.

The United States and Israel began military operations against Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes against Israeli and American assets in the region before a fragile ceasefire took effect in April. The adversaries signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, though implementation has stalled over disagreements concerning security arrangements in the strategic waterway.