Azernews.Az

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it intercepted and halted four vessels attempting an unauthorized crossing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, AzerNEWS reports.

According to an official IRGC statement broadcast by the Al-Hadath television network, the ships allegedly ignored multiple maritime warnings before attempting to navigate the chokepoint. Revolutionary Guard officials stated that two of the vessels were disabled and rendered immobile as a direct result of military strikes, while the remaining two were forced to turn back.

Simultaneously, the IRGC claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone in southern Iran. State-aligned Iranian media outlets broadcast footage showing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being brought down over Bushehr province by naval defense forces.

The escalation follows a series of early morning air strikes launched by the United States military against Iranian positions. Washington declared its operations were direct retaliation for a series of continuous attacks directed at US forces stationed in Jordan, which recently resulted in the deaths of two American servicemen.