Iran says it shot down U.S. MQ‑9 Reaper drone amid escalating regional attacks

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its air‑defence system intercepted and destroyed a U.S. MQ‑9 Reaper drone over the Ahvaz area of Khouzestan province, releasing a video of the claimed operation. The United States has not confirmed the incident and the video's authenticity remains unverified.

In a related statement, the IRGC said Iranian forces carried out missile and drone strikes on U.S. facilities in Jordan and Kuwait. In Jordan, a ballistic missile targeted an airport fuel depot, reportedly damaging a C‑17 Globemaster III and a P‑8 Poseidon aircraft. In Kuwait, a drone attack was said to have destroyed an early‑warning radar system and ignited a warehouse containing aircraft parts and a drone hanger.

Iran also reported that its air‑defence shot down a suicide drone over the Azerbaijan province of the country. The United States has responded with a series of air strikes in the region, citing ongoing Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The series of claims and counter‑actions heighten tensions across West Asia.