Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz on October 20. The announcement came amid intensified attacks on ships using a passage that carried about 20% of the world’s oil before the conflict.

The reported shootdown had not been independently verified, and no US military confirmation was available at publication. The exact location, circumstances and recovery of any wreckage remained unverified.

Guards credit advanced air defenses

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB carried the Guards’ announcement that air defenses had brought down the drone. Iranian accounts attributed the operation to the Guards’ aerospace forces, using an advanced system within the country’s integrated air-defense network.

The Guards’ press office said the interception took place early Tuesday morning, according to an Italian news outlet. It described the aircraft as the 59th US MQ-9 destroyed.

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Iranian news agency Tasnim gave a broader total, saying Iranian forces had destroyed more than 50 drones of that type since the war began. Those figures were Iranian assertions, not independently established losses.

Tanker incidents add to maritime tensions

Iranian attacks on ships and tankers have intensified in recent weeks, according to Portuguese news portal Sapo. The vessels were attempting to cross the strait along the established route near Oman’s coast.

On Monday, the Guards said a tanker had struck a naval mine while trying to leave through a route they considered unauthorized. An explosion was followed by a fire, according to their account. The announcement followed reports on Saturday of similar incidents involving two other supertankers.

Iran and US give competing accounts of access

The conflict began on February 28, with US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Sapo reported that Iran has kept the strait closed since the war began, using access to the passage to pressure Washington.

The United States gives a different account: it says it controls the strait and regional oil trade has returned close to pre-war levels. US forces also maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said last week that navigation through the strait would remain unsafe until Washington ended the war and its blockade of Iranian ports.