Iran's IRGC claims shooting down US MQ-1 Predator drone over Qeshm Island

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims it shot down a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone over Qeshm Island using an advanced air defense system. The incident follows a U.S. report from November 13, 2026, stating American forces intercepted two IRGC drones over Bahrain. Escalating conflict since February 28, 2026, has seen Iranian attacks on U.S. bases, a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran-US escalation triggers

• ▪The U.S. military rejected Iranian claims of an attack on an American radar in Bahrain, reporting U.S. forces instead shot down two IRGC attack drones aimed at Bahrain on November 13, 2026
• ▪Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Chief Commander Major General Ahmad Vahidi warned on November 13, 2026, that the United States would face severe consequences if military actions against Tehran continued
• ▪Iranian state media reported that Iran launched a strike toward Bahrain in retaliation for an alleged air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran's Hormozgan province

Strait of Hormuz conflict context

• ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a liquefied gas carrier suffered a major explosion after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports following Iranian missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases and attempts to restrict commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪A wider regional conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran began on February 28, 2026, following American and Israeli military strikes on Iranian targets