Iran claims 73 US drones shot down since conflict began
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Zambian Observer
Iranian Revolutionary Guards claim to have destroyed 73 US drones since the conflict began, including 17 MQ-1s and 56 MQ-9s. The latest MQ-1 was reportedly shot down on 14 November over Iran’s Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz; the figure is unverified and Washington has not confirmed losses on this scale, according to the Zambian Observer.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards claim their forces have destroyed 73 US military drones since the conflict began, including 17 MQ-1 Predator and 56 MQ-9 Reaper aircraft. The latest aircraft claimed was an MQ-1 shot down on 14 November over Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Zambian Observer, citing the Revolutionary Guards.
The Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace forces attribute the interceptions to air defence systems they say they developed and used to detect, track and engage US reconnaissance drones operating near Iranian territory. The cumulative figure of 73 aircraft remains an Iranian military claim and has not been independently verified, while the US military has not publicly confirmed losses on this scale, the Zambian Observer reports.
The latest claim comes after Iran announced on 7 November that it had destroyed a US drone near Qeshm. It also follows Iran’s 2 November claim that an MQ-9 had been shot down and two drones captured in Hormuz, according to previous reports published by the outlet.
