ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday it had intercepted and destroyed another US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s economy or eliminate its leadership if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington.
In a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB news, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force used an “advanced air defense system” under Iran’s integrated air defense network to bring down the drone.
The claim comes as US President Donald Trump warned Tehran that it could face the destruction of its economy or the removal of its leadership if it fails to reach a deal with Washington.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said the alternatives were effectively to “wipe Iran out” or allow its economy to “rot,” unless the two sides reached an agreement.
Iran’s military, meanwhile, said its intelligence indicated that the United States and its allies were preparing a new large-scale strike against the country and warned that any regional state supporting such an operation would be considered a party to the conflict.
“If the US makes any mistake against the Islamic Republic of Iran, all its positions and interests in the region will be targeted by sustained, effective and painful attacks, without any limitations or considerations,” Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters said, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The United States continues to tighten its enforcement of restrictions on commercial shipping linked to Iran. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday that its forces had redirected 109 commercial vessels since the start of the campaign.
“As of Sept. 20, CENTCOM forces have redirected 109 commercial vessels to ensure total compliance,” the command said.
CENTCOM previously said its forces had supported the transit of more than one billion barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz over the preceding months and assisted around 2,000 commercial vessels with “coordinated protection.”
The US has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports since mid-July. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper claimed that Iran had exported “zero barrels” under what he called an “ironclad blockade.”
Iran has disputed Washington’s account of control over the waterway. IRGC Navy commander Ali Azmaei said Friday that Iranian forces “continue to powerfully hold control over the vital waterway of the Strait of Hormuz, permitting no aggressor to pass through.”
Azmaei also warned that unauthorized transit “will yield no result other than the destruction of the offending vessel.”
The confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz has remained particularly volatile since the US and Iran went to war in late February. The waterway carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, making the confrontation a major concern for international energy markets.
