Iran shoots down US MQ-9 drone in Bushehr, US disables tanker in Persian Gulf

Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced it intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft over the port of Bushehr, saying the drone was engaged by a newly deployed air‑defence system linked to its integrated anti‑air network.

The United States' Central Command reported that a US aircraft – identified as either an MQ‑9 drone or an AH‑64 Apache helicopter – launched Hellfire missiles that struck the Curaçao‑flagged tanker M/T Belma as it ignored repeated warnings and proceeded toward Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal. The strike immobilised the vessel, enforcing a naval blockade re‑imposed on ships bound for Iranian waters. Both sides warned of possible retaliation and indicated that the incidents raise the risk of further confrontations in the Persian Gulf.