Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday it intercepted and destroyed an American MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz using a new air defence system, as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue and talks over the strategic waterway remain stalled.
The drone was intercepted by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s “new advanced aerospace defence system” under the control of Iran’s integrated air defence network, the IRGC public relations office reported, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.
Iran did not provide details on the drone’s mission or origin. The MQ-1 is manufactured by US defence company General Atomics and has historically been operated primarily by the US Air Force and the CIA.
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The interception follows a series of Iranian operations against US unmanned aircraft in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the reports.
US Could Keep Iran Oil
The latest incident came after US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US could continue its campaign against Iran and potentially take control of its oil.
“We’ll ultimately get out (of the war), unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela,” Trump said at the Irish Open golf championship in Ireland.
Trump said US revenue from the Venezuela arrangement had “paid for the war many times”.
He also said he expected the seven-month Iran war to end this year, possibly after the November midterm elections, and said gasoline prices would “drop like a rock” once the conflict ends.
Trump said he would only agree to the “right deal” and claimed Tehran had been “calling constantly” for peace talks. Iran has previously dismissed that claim.
Hormuz Talks Postponed
A meeting between Iran and Gulf countries in Oman to discuss possible agreements over the Strait of Hormuz was postponed, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Sunday.
Albusaidi cited the need for “consensus” behind the postponement.
Iranian and Gulf officials had been expected to meet Monday to sign an agreement establishing an Iran-Oman shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. No direct talks between the US and Iran were ongoing.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global oil and gas flows. The reports said the waterway has faced an Iranian and later US naval blockade since the war began in February, keeping global energy prices elevated.
A June accord between Washington and Tehran also faltered over disagreements involving the waterway.
The Tehran-allied Houthi rebels have also mounted an offensive in recent days, giving the group leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb, another critical waterway.
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