TEHRAN – An Iranian military surveillance drone has successfully carried out its reconnaissance mission in international waters before communication was lost, Iranian state-affiliated media reported on Tuesday, amid US claims that American forces shot it down in self-defence.
Fars News Agency stated that the drone — part of Iran’s routine patrol operations — was monitoring military movements near the Islamic Republic’s borders, with real-time data relayed to ground stations.
A source quoted by Tasnim News Agency identified the aircraft as a Shahed-129 and insisted it had been engaged in a “routine and lawful” mission of reconnaissance, monitoring and imaging over open waters. The source said the drone transmitted its footage to command successfully before contact was severed, with the cause now under investigation.
The report follows a US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcement that a Navy F-35C fighter jet, launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, destroyed an Iranian drone — identified by US officials as a Shahed-139 — after it “aggressively approached” the vessel with “unclear intent”. CENTCOM said the action was taken in self-defence to protect the carrier and its personnel, with no US casualties or damage reported. The carrier was operating some 500 miles from Iran’s southern coast.
The incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened US military presence in the region, including the Persian Gulf, and repeated warnings from President Donald Trump of potential further action against Iran. Senior Iranian military figures have responded with firm cautions against any “miscalculation” by Washington or its allies.
