US spy drone, Global Hawk, took off from a known US military base in the southern regions of the Persian Gulf at 00:14 AM local time, reads the statement, adding that the drone had turned off all its equipment which could reveal its identity despite all aviation rules, before heading from the Hormuz Strait towards Chabahar.
In his way back to the western regions, and near the Hormuz Strait, the drone intruded in Iran’s territory and was conducting espionage, IRGC noted.
The statement went on to say that the IRGC air defense system targeted and downed the US intruding drone at 4:05 AM local time.
The RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that can fly at high altitudes for more than 30 hours, gathering near-real-time, high-resolution imagery of large areas of land in all types of weather.
Commenting on the operation, IRGC chief commander Major General Hossein Salami said, “At dawn today, the IRGC’s Air Force bravely downed a US spy drone, which had intruded our border, violating our national security. This is how the Iranian nation deals with its enemies.”
The IRGC’s chief said Iranian frontiers are “our red line,” and that the downing of the American drone sent a “transparent and firm message” that the defenders of Iranian borders would react to any act of aggression by any outsider with a “decisive and final” strike.
He reaffirmed that Iran is not seeking war with anyone, but stands fully ready to firmly respond to any aggression.
Also Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi strongly condemned the United States for violating the country’s airspace by a spy drone, warning that the aggressors bear the responsibility for repercussions of such provocative moves.
MNA/4646295