Iran Downs $30M US MQ-9 Reaper Drone; Over 110 US, Israeli Drones Destroyed So Far Iran Air Defenses

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims its air defenses shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province on March 14, 2026. Iranian state media released footage allegedly showing wreckage from the drone, including parts of its electro-optical/infrared targeting pod and fragments believed to be from a Hellfire missile. Officials said the interception was carried out by a newly integrated air-defense system near the strategic port city. Tehran linked the incident to escalating clashes with the United States during Operation True Promise 4. The IRGC also claimed it has downed more than 100 hostile drones since regional tensions intensified.