In brief
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it shot down two U.S. MQM‑170 drones off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz using electronic warfare, adding to a series of similar claims. The U.S. military has denied the allegation, and diplomatic channels between Tehran and Washington remain active.
On Monday, November 3, 2026, the IRGC announced that it had brought down two U.S. MQM‑170 drones in the Strait of Hormuz, south of Qeshm Island, using electronic warfare systems, according to Anadolu Agency.
Anadolu reports that the IRGC Aerospace Force’s use of electronic warfare prevented the drones from completing their missions, adding the latest loss to a series of previous claims by Iranian forces that two MQM‑170s were downed or seized over the past week.
Earlier this week the IRGC Navy said it had captured a MQM‑170 drone in the western Strait of Hormuz, and a day earlier the IRGC Aerospace Force shot down another drone over Qeshm Island, according to state‑run reporting outlets.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that Tehran and Washington were continuing to exchange messages via mediators, and that Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had visited Doha to facilitate those talks.
The United States military has rejected the Revolutionary Guard’s account of the latest incident, stating that no U.S. MQM‑170s were lost in the area.
The incident comes after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli assets in the region; a ceasefire agreement was reached in April, and a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was signed on June 18, though its implementation has stalled.
