Iran Claims It Shot Down a U.S. MQ-9 Drone Over Qeshm Island and Warns Retaliation Would Have 'No Geographical Limits'

Iran's army said early on Saturday that its air defense forces shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that any fresh American attack would trigger an immediate military response without geographical restrictions.

Iran's state-run Press TV reported that air defenses downed two U.S. MQ-9 drones over the island, while the Iranian Army announced one downing. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed on Friday that its air defenses had intercepted an MQ-1 drone, reportedly the 16th aircraft of that model it says it has destroyed since the start of the war. The United States has not commented on the drone claims.

The claims followed two projectiles hitting the Suza area of Qeshm Island on Friday night, the latest in a series of strikes on the southern island in recent weeks targeting Iranian air defenses and launchers. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said there was no official information on possible damage.

President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that U.S. forces had carried out limited strikes against an Iranian air-defense system on Qeshm Island. "We do minor strikes. They knocked out — they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said the situation was "relatively calm."

Iranian Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia issued the warning on Saturday, saying Tehran's forces were prepared to target American military bases beyond the Middle East if Washington resumed strikes against Iran, according to AFP, citing Iranian state media.

At least 11 ships were attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the week ending on November 6, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said three of them sank. Mediators, meanwhile, are trying to prevent further escalation: Qatar said its mediation efforts continue, and U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday a new task force to disrupt Iran's use of ground routes and the Caspian Sea to move weapons.