IRGC Claims To Have Shot Down MQ-9 Reaper Drone, Fired at F-35 And Intel Drone Over Iranian Airspace.

Tehran; May 2026: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it downed an MQ9 Reaper drone after identifying that a hostile aircraft had entered Iran’s airspace in the Gulf region today (Tuesday – 26th May 2026). It has also claimed to have fired at an F-35 fighter jet, forcing it to leave its airspace, as well as at an RQ4 intelligence collection drone. The IRGC added that it reserved the “legitimate and definite” right to retaliate against any ceasefire violations by the US, state media reported.

Iran’s claims come after the United States carried out “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran overnight against various targets, including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites. “US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said today (May 26th).

The US military carried out “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, as per official reports issued today. Two Iranian boats were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, citing a senior US official. Forces also responded after a missile site had targeted US warplanes, said the official. The US military eliminated both IRGC vessels, he added.

He also confirmed that the US struck a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site in Bandar Abbas, following reports of explosions in the city by Iranian media. Other explosions were reported close to Sirik and Jask, located near the strait.

The official told media reporters that the strikes were “defensive”, while two additional sources said that the strikes do not indicate that the ceasefire with Iran is over. Explosions were heard yesterday (25th May) in various regions across the Strait of Hormuz, according to US official sources. The official said that the US strikes were “over for now”.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader have said that Israel has “drawn near final stages of their cursed demise”, alongside has threatened US bases across the Middle East, and praised Hezbollah’s operations against Israel. Countries in the Middle East will no longer be able to host US military bases, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s official Farsi-language X/Twitter account posted today.

Khamenei’s apparent statement was timed to commemorate the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca – a holy event and religious requirement for all Muslims. “The nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases”, Khamenei wrote. “America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region”, he continued.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), while headquartered in Florida, has a permanent presence at military bases across the region, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

Khamenei also threatened Israel, calling it the “shaky Zionist regime and cancerous tumor”, citing a ‘prescient statement’ of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, approximately a decade ago, which predicted that Israel would no longer exist 25 years from then, i.e., within 15 years from now.

Iran’s leader also praised Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, who act as the regime’s proxy force on the frontlines against Israel. The “mujahideen of the resistance front, especially in dear Lebanon Hezbollah, achieved remarkable victories against the two fully armed terrorist American-Zionist militaries”, he wrote.

Iran, for its part, also “succeeded in rendering the Zionist regime helpless” during Operation Roaring Lion, he claimed. They also “delivered a harsh slap to the aggressor America, and thwarted the enemy in its goal of forcing Iran’s surrender”, he added. Khamenei invited “all Islamic countries and governments to friendship and cooperation for the good and benevolence” in order to resolve the issues facing the Islamic world.

He stated that “disavowing the polytheists holds double importance” this year, particularly the “depth and breadth of disavowing America and the Zionist regime”. Disavowing anti-Islamic ideas, such as ‘polytheism’, is part of the Hajj’s ceremonial rituals. This will lead to ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ being the common slogan of the Islamic Ummah people, as well as among the “oppressed of the world, especially the youth’.

Both “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” appear on the banner of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Team Maverick.