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Iran stepped up its military operations around the Strait of Hormuz on October 29, in what appears to be an attempt to deter the United States and Israel.
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force said its air defenses had shot down an MQ-1 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Sirik in southern Iran, using a new air defense system operating within the country’s integrated air defense network.
It described the interception as the 14th MQ-1 it had destroyed during the war and said it had also downed 54 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Later, the Corps released footage showing the interception and destruction of several MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones in recent days.
In another announcement, the IRGC Navy said its electronic warfare unit had seized control of an American MQM-170 surveillance and decoy drone in the western Strait of Hormuz and landed it intact.
The force said the drone had been tasked with identifying Iranian air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coast and the strait. It also said recovered data indicated that the drone had taken off from the coast of a Gulf state, stopping short of naming it.
Despite the release of footage showing the seized drone, the U.S. Central Command denied the reported capture, with spokesman Tim Hawkins calling Iran’s account false.
The IRGC Navy also said three oil tankers had struck naval mines and caught fire over the preceding 24 hours while attempting to leave the strait through an unauthorized southern route.
In a statement, the Corps said the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from Iranian forces before being abandoned off the southern coast of the waterway. The navy warned that unauthorized routes were mined and said vessel owners and crews would bear responsibility for using them.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately reported receiving information about a vessel on fire in the strait, but it did not establish whether that vessel was among the three cited by Iran.
The announcements came amid warnings that the U.S. and Israel could resume military strikes against Iran after the November 3 American midterm elections.
U.S. officials have privately urged regional allies to prepare for possible renewed attacks and Iranian retaliation against energy facilities and other critical infrastructure, according to diplomats cited by The Associated Press.
Taken together, Iran’s announcements appeared intended to raise the potential cost of renewed U.S.-Israeli military action. The Islamic Republic is clearly signaling that another campaign could threaten not only American military assets but also maritime traffic and regional energy supplies.
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