Iran Downs US MQ-9 Reaper Drone As Aerial Battle Intensifies Over Strait Of Hormuz | Video

Last Updated:June 10, 2026, 07:27 IST

IRGC says it downed a US MQ9 drone over Bushehr as US strikes Iranian air defences, both sides trade drone attacks near the Strait of Hormuz amid tense ceasefire talks

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Bushehr province amid ongoing aerial clashes between the two countries in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

Video footage circulating on social media purportedly shows the American drone being brought down.

Confirming Iran’s shooting down the drone, IRGC in a statement said, “During the ongoing aerial clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, an MQ9 drone that intended to approach and intervene in the battle scene from the northern sky of the Persian Gulf was hit by the fire of the heroic fighters of the IRGC’s modern air defense in Jam County, Bushehr Province, and was destroyed."

Also Read: Iran Claims Retaliatory Drone Attack On US Fifth Fleet In Bahrain After American Strikes

US Strikes Iran After Tehran Downs American Apache Chopper

The United States launched three waves of strikes in southern Iran after a US Army Apache helicopter crashed off the coast of Oman, an incident for which US President Donald Trump blamed the Islamic Republic.

As the operation unfolded, a US official told Axios that American forces targeted multiple Iranian air defence and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities in the strategically vital region.

In a statement, US Central Command called the strikes “self-defence" and added that it would be “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

Also Read: Trump Defends Iran Strikes, Says US Response To Apache Downing Must Be ‘Very Strong’

“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets. The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters," it said.

During the attacks, explosions were reported in several locations, with residents hearing blasts in the northwestern part of Ahvaz as well as in Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island.

Following the attacks, two water tanks in the Bemani district were struck, disrupting the area’s drinking water supply and leaving residents without access to potable water.

‘Dire Fates Of Intruding Outsiders’ Iran Warns US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that foreign military forces operating near Iran face constant risks of accidents, miscalculations, or being caught in crossfire.

“To reduce risk, the best solution is for them to leave," Araqchi said in a social media post.

Following the US strikes, he cautioned Washington against further military action, saying that despite what he described as US “defeats on the battlefield," it had chosen to test Iran’s resolve.

He asserted that Iran’s armed forces would leave “no attack or threat unanswered" and urged foreign forces to exit the region if they wished to remain safe.

Araqchi also invoked the history of the Persian Gulf, saying it contains many examples of the “dire fates of intruding outsiders," in a pointed warning after US strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran Responds To US Strikes

Iran said that it is delivering a forceful response to the US attack. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with drones in retaliation for US strikes on locations in southern Iran earlier on Wednesday, according to state media reports.

In a statement, IRGC said, “The war-mongering US regime, under baseless pretexts, targeted several locations in Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A telecommunication mast in Sirik was damaged, and two water reservoirs were destroyed."

“In response to this hostile act by the enemy, naval forces of the IRGC carried out a drone attack at 02:30 a.m. targeting the Fifth Fleet of the naval forces in Bahrain. Clashes are ongoing, and the courageous Guards of the Iranian nation are continuing to respond to enemy aggressions. In the event of continued hostility, heavier responses are on the way," it added.

Trump On Iran Strikes

Speaking about the US carrying out Iran strikes, Trump said, “I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak."

“This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is," he added.

US-Iran Peace Talks

Speaking to CNN, a US official said that the latest strikes on Iranian targets were intended as a “warning shot" and are not expected to derail negotiations.

The current negotiations follow months of escalating hostilities between the US and Iran that culminated in a brief but intense conflict involving attacks on military and strategic targets across the region.

The fighting disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route, before both sides agreed to a ceasefire.

Since then, indirect talks have focused on securing freedom of navigation in the waterway, preventing further military escalation, and reviving discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which remains the central point of contention between Washington and Tehran.

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Prisha Vibhavari

Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st...Read More

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