By Sadiq Abdulfatah

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has reported the downing of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Hormozgan Province in southern Iran.

The IRGC Public Relations Department said in a brief statement on Friday that an advanced Iranian defence system had detected and destroyed the American drone while it was flying over the province.

According to the statement, the operation was carried out under Iran’s integrated air defence network.

The reported incident came a day after The Washington Post said the United States had lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the start of its war against Iran.

The report said Iranian air defences had brought down about a quarter of the US Reaper fleet, highlighting challenges facing the American military in protecting the drones while operating over Iranian territory.

It estimated that the losses could cost US taxpayers more than $1.3 billion, with individual Reapers valued at between $30 million and $50 million depending on their configuration.

When the conflict began on February 28, the US reportedly had about 185 Reapers, including 165 operated by the Air Force and 20 by the Marine Corps.

The MQ-9 Reaper is widely used by the US for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as precision strikes. Its ability to conduct operations without putting a pilot directly in danger has made it an important platform for missions in areas with significant air defences.

The latest US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, after which Tehran launched daily missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli military targets in the region.

The two sides later signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17.

However, according to the source, the United States violated its commitments under the agreement in July and resumed attacks on Iran, prompting further Iranian retaliation.

Source: Press TV