Iran's army claimed on Monday that its air defences shot down a US drone over the southern city of Bandar Abbas, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Mehr, citing an army statement, said air defence forces in southeastern Iran identified, intercepted, and destroyed “a hostile Lucas-type” aircraft over the skies of Bandar Abbas County near Hajiabad.
The army said the interception occurred while air defence units were responding to “enemy attacks and securing the country's airspace.”
The reported interception came hours after the US launched a new wave of strikes on military and infrastructure targets across Iran, including sites in the Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan provinces, as well as rail infrastructure linking Tehran and Mashhad.
Tehran, in turn, announced missile and drone attacks targeting US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, while accusing Washington of violating a June 17 memorandum of understanding reached through Pakistani mediation.
Tehran warns neighbours of being ‘launch point’
In a statement earlier, the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned neighbouring countries against allowing their territory or facilities to be used by the US or other parties to carry out attacks on Iran.
It said neighbouring states were obligated under international law to prevent their territory from being used for military action against Iran, warning that the "origin and launch point" of any attack would be targeted by the Iranian armed forces.
The developments come hours after the US military announced a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, saying the operation was aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ministry strongly condemned US strikes carried out over the past 22 hours, describing them as a serious violation of the UN Charter.
It accused Washington of violating nearly every provision of the Memorandum of Understanding signed 25 days ago and of committing "war crimes" by targeting transport infrastructure, fishing boats, cargo vessels and meteorological facilities.
The ministry also accused the US of interfering in arrangements governing the Strait of Hormuz, saying the move had restored insecurity to the strategic waterway and disrupted international commercial shipping.
