IRGC Claims It Shot Down Another US MQ-9 Reaper Drone East of the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's IRGC said its air defense units shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone east of the Strait of Hormuz at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, August 31, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf. The IRGC statement described the aircraft as struck 'by missile fire from the ever-vigilant combatants of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' modern air defense units,' with Iranian outlets tying the intercept to a newly touted domestic mobile air-defense system. US officials have not confirmed the loss. The claim, if verified, would add to roughly 30 MQ-9 losses Iran has claimed in the region since the war began on February 28, underscoring the toll of persistent drone operations over the strait even during the recent lull in ground strikes.