IRGC claims 52nd US drone shootdown over Qeshm Island

• US Central Command has not confirmed any drone loss over Qeshm Island 

Iranian state media reported early Wednesday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Qeshm Island at 2:29 a.m. local time, describing it as the 52nd such aircraft brought down by Iranian forces since fighting with the United States escalated this year.

According to the IRGC's account, the drone was detected and destroyed by an "advanced, modern air defense system" operating under Iran's integrated air defense network. 

As of publication, US Central Command has not confirmed the loss of an aircraft over Qeshm Island, and the claim could not be independently verified. 

That pattern is consistent with recent months of the conflict: Iranian officials have announced a rising tally of downed MQ-9s, the 50th claimed on Sep. 2, followed by wreckage from a drone shot down over Khomein put on public display on Sep. 3, while US officials have often declined to confirm individual losses.

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