Iran’s navy said on Friday it shot down an American MQ-1 drone near the Strait of Hormuz, the latest incident in the escalating military confrontation between Tehran and Washington. Iranian state media carried the claim, but it has not been independently confirmed, and the US military has not confirmed losing any aircraft.
FAKTA
- What happened: Iran says its navy shot down a US MQ-1 drone.
- Where: The Kuhestak area off the coast of Sirik, in Hormozgan Province, near the Strait of Hormuz.
- When: Friday, 13 November 2026.
- How: Iran says a new naval air defence system destroyed the drone.
- US position: US Central Command declined to comment; no US confirmation has been issued.
- Why it matters: The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important routes for oil shipments.
What Tehran says happened
The Iranian Army’s public relations office said the drone was detected and tracked over the Kuhestak area before the naval air defence system destroyed it. The statement described the aircraft as American and said the navy would not hesitate to defend Iran’s territorial integrity, maritime borders and national interests.
Iranian state media published images said to show damaged parts of the downed aircraft. They have not been independently verified, and the statement offered no radar data or other evidence to confirm the interception.
Washington has not confirmed the loss
US Central Command declined to comment, and the Pentagon has not publicly confirmed that an MQ-1 was lost in the area. The reported shootdown therefore remains a claim, not an established fact.
The designation has also raised questions: the US Air Force retired its last MQ-1B Predator in March 2018, while the US Army flies the related MQ-1C Gray Eagle. Analysts note the label may have been applied loosely to a drone that could not be identified from wreckage.
A day of competing claims in the Gulf
The drone claim came hours after a separate exchange of accusations over Bahrain. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier on Friday that it had destroyed an American early-warning radar system in Bahrain, describing the strike as retaliation for an attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik the day before.
US Central Command rejected that account. It said American forces had instead shot down two one-way attack drones launched toward Bahrain, and that the interceptions caused no injuries or damage.
The two episodes show how quickly claims and counter-claims are flying across the Gulf, with each side presenting a different version of the same day. The US-Iran confrontation has run since late February, and the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world’s seaborne oil passes — sits at its centre.
For now, the reported downing stands as an unconfirmed claim in a conflict where verification is growing harder by the day. Follow Watan News for further updates from the region.
