In response to recent U.S. strikes in southern Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it considers the “right to retaliate” against any violation of the ceasefire by the U.S. military to be “legitimate and definitive.”
The IRGC Public Relations Bureau announced in a statement that the U.S. military, “continuing its aggressive behavior,” entered Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf region, and that IRGC air defense units shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone following “precise intelligence monitoring.”
The IRGC also claimed to have targeted an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone and an F-35 fighter jet, “forcing them to flee and exit Iran’s territorial airspace.” The statement did not specify the exact time or location of these engagements. These remarks were made after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had conducted strikes against targets in southern Iran in the early hours of Tuesday, May 26, under the framework of “self-defense.”
CENTCOM stated that American forces targeted Iranian missile sites and vessels that were “attempting to lay mines.” According to U.S. officials, the objective of the operation was to protect United States personnel from threats posed by the Islamic Republic.
