Tehran:
Iran has claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 drone and fired at a fighter jet that entered Iranian airspace. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iranian forces “fired upon an RQ-4 drone and an intruding F-35 fighter jet”, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The statement quoted in the report did not specify when the incidents took place.
However, the Guards said it reserved the “legitimate and definite” right to retaliate against any ceasefire violations by the US.
Mojtaba Khamenei Claims Victory
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also released a statement saying Middle East powers will no longer be “a shield” for US military bases, and the US will no longer have a “safe haven” in the region.
He claimed victories for the “axis of resistance”, including Lebanon, saying Iranian proxy forces have taught a lesson to the Americans and the “Zionist entity”. Khamenei also called on Islamic nations and other countries to share common interests.
US Strikes Iran Targets
The incident comes after the United States carried out so-called “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran overnight against various targets, including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites.
“US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said.
Centcom gave no details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines”.
The Fragile Ceasefire
The latest aggression from both warring nations threatened an already fragile ceasefire that began April 8 as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has rattled the global economy with a severe disruption of energy flows.
Hopes for an accord in recent days were dealt another blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.
