IRGC Downs US Drone, Forces F-35 and RQ-4 Out of Iranian Airspace

By Al Mayadeen English

Iran's IRGC reveals it shot down a US MQ-9 drone and forced an F-35 fighter jet and RQ-4 reconnaissance aircraft to flee after they violated Iranian airspace.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps announced on Tuesday that its air defense units had intercepted a series of US military transgressions in the Gulf region, shooting down an MQ-9 drone and opening fire on an RQ-4 reconnaissance aircraft and an F-35 fighter jet, forcing both to immediately withdraw from Iranian airspace.

The IRGC asserted in a statement that the operation was carried out in defense of Iran's sovereignty and national airspace, following the US military's "continued adventurism and aggressive conduct in the region." It added that the response came after precise intelligence monitoring by air defense units.

The IRGC issued a stern warning to US command, cautioning it against any further ceasefire violations by the US military, and affirmed that reciprocal retaliation is a legitimate and inevitable right.

The aerial confrontations follow US attacks on southern Iran carried out overnight Monday into Tuesday. US Central Command claimed its forces hit missile launch sites and vessels it alleged were attempting to lay naval mines near the port city of Bandar Abbas.

Air defenses on alert

Iranian forces announced the downing of a hostile drone on Monday over the Gulf using the newly introduced Arash air defense system. Iranian officials said the downing sent a clear signal that no stealth drone would be able to penetrate Gulf skies, affirming Iran's full sovereignty over the vital airspace of the region..

Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Sefidchian, commander of the IRGC Ground Forces headquarters in Hormozgan Province, had warned that Gulf security is a red line, adding that Iranian forces maintain full surveillance over enemy movements and the capability for a decisive response at any level required.

Military, diplomatic tracks running parallel

The commander of Iran's Khatam al‑Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Ali Abdollahi, reaffirmed on Sunday that Iran's military capabilities in the naval, air, and missile sectors remain fully intact despite enemy claims to the contrary, and announced that new air defense systems would soon be introduced.

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, framed the broader confrontation as unfolding simultaneously on military and diplomatic fronts. "Our fighters today have their hands on the trigger, while at the same time our negotiators continue efforts to restore the rights of the Iranian people," he said, adding that the US is on a path of strategic decline in West Asia following the "Ramadan War."