Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed to have shot down a US drone in the southern province of Hormozgan on Thursday.
State news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted the guard’s news website, Sepah News, as saying that the Islamic country’s military force targeted the “RQ-4 Global Hawk” when it entered Iran’s airspace “near the Kouhmobarak district in the south.”
A Revolutionary Guard commander said the incident sent “a clear message” to the US.
Responding swiftly to the Iranian claim, the US military said it did not violate Iranian airspace on Wednesday.
“No US aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace today,” said Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military’s Central Command.
However last week, the US did confirm a previous Iranian attempt to shoot down one of its drones.
Rising tensions
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated over the past month, with the US accusing Iran of continued malign activity and unspecified threats against the US and its allies. Washington has also increased its military presence in the region.
The US also accused Iran last week of attacking Japanese and Norwegian flagged tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Washington released video and pictures purporting to show a Revolutionary Guard boat removing an unexploded limpet mine.
While Iran officials rejected the claims that Tehran was behind the blasts, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday there was “strong evidence” Iran was behind the twin tanker attacks.