Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) air defenses have downed 68 US MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones since the start of the US-Israeli war, delivering another blow to US aerial operations with the latest interception of an MQ-1 drone, the force says.

"The system operates under the control of the country’s integrated air-defense network” and targets drones as “valuable reconnaissance and combat assets of the United States,” the IRGC explained on Thursday.

The latest interception took place east of the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Sirik in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, according to the IRGC.

“The importance of this achievement lies not only in the number of aircraft destroyed, but also in the capability to detect, track and destroy advanced targets under real combat conditions,” the statement added.

The IRGC attributed the capability to years of work by Iranian specialists and commanders to develop the country’s domestic air-defense systems.

It further noted that the drones carry “advanced surveillance equipment, thermal cameras, satellite communications and long-endurance flight capabilities,” making them important to US military intelligence and operational missions.

IRGC air defenses down 14th US MQ-1 drone over Strait of Hormuz

The IRGC Aerospace Force says it shot down a US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

On September 21, the IRGC announced that it had shot down a US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, while the Iranian Army separately reported destroying an Orbiter reconnaissance drone in the same strategic area.

On October 20, the IRGC announced the destruction of a 54th US MQ-9 Reaper, bringing its reported tally for that model to 54. Thursday’s announcement raised the combined number of MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones downed by Iran’s air defenses to 68.

The US Air Force retired its MQ-1 Predator fleet in 2018, shifting to the more advanced MQ-9 Reaper for combat operations.

With Iran’s Armed Forces having inflicted significant losses on the US MQ-9 Reaper fleet during the US-Israeli aggression, Washington has been forced to turn back to MQ-1 drones to sustain its aerial surveillance and reconnaissance operations.