Iran Shoots Down US Drone Near Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant — Military Source

Iranian military forces have shot down an American drone that entered the Islamic Republic’s airspace without authorization near the southern city of Bushehr, according to a report by Tasnim News Agency, citing a military source — just one day after Iranian naval forces turned back a U.S. tanker attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz in defiance of Iran’s restrictions.

The military source “confirmed the interception of a trespassing American drone in the vicinity of Bushehr,” according to the report published on Thursday. The source added that the interception was carried out “through the launch of an air defense missile at the drone.”

Fars News Agency separately confirmed the incident, citing its own correspondent, and noted that Iran’s integrated air defense system engaged the aircraft using defense apparatus positioned near the cities of Jam and Kangan in Bushehr Province. The hostile aircraft was confronted “over the waters of the Persian Gulf,” the agency stated, adding that “search operations to locate the wreckage of the aircraft are ongoing.”

Bushehr Province is home to Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and endured multiple military strikes during the recent U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran, which lasted from February 28 to April 7.

The drone incident follows a confrontation one day earlier in which the IRGC Navy forced an American tanker to reverse course after it attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz in violation of Iran’s restrictions. According to Tasnim, the tanker had deliberately disabled its tracking system while attempting the illegal passage. U.S. forces subsequently struck an open area near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas in response.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to its enemies and their allies as a retaliatory measure following what it describes as unprovoked aggression.

The back-to-back violations come despite recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that a memorandum of understanding with Iran may be within reach. Iran has outlined its core conditions for any peace arrangement, demanding the complete cessation of aggression on all fronts, the removal of the U.S. naval blockade, the lifting of sanctions, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad.