Tehran: Tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated once again. On Sunday morning, the Iranian military claimed to have shot down a US ‘Lucas’ drone flying over Bandar Abbas.

According to a report by Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Iranian military air defence units shot down a US ‘Lucas’ drone flying over Bandar Abbas early Sunday morning.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported the incident in a post on the social media platform X, stating that Iranian military air defence units had destroyed a US military attack drone over Bandar Abbas.

The military’s public relations office said that air defence units operating under the country’s integrated air defence system had destroyed the US ‘Lucas’ drone in the airspace over Bandar Abbas.

It is worth noting that on October 20, the IRGC’s air defence system intercepted and shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC, it was the 54th drone of this type to have been shot down.

In its statement, the IRGC said that since the military operation launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran’s armed forces had shot down several enemy aircraft, in addition to reconnaissance and combat drones.

The IRGC maintains that these operations took place during a conflict that it describes as a violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law.

The latest incident comes at a time when military activity and rising tensions across the region continue to be closely monitored.