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Iran Says It Has Shot Down 'Unknown' Drone Near Persian Gulf


An Iranian official has been quoted as saying air defense forces have shot down an "unknown" drone in the country's southwest.

The state-run IRNA news agency said the drone was shot out of the sky in the morning on November 8 over the port city of Mahshahr, which is in the oil-rich Khuzestan Province and lies on the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian port city of Mahshahr
The Iranian port city of Mahshahr

The report did not say whether the drone was a military or commercially available device.

The semiofficial Mehr news agency later reported that wreckage from the drone had been recovered and was being examined by the authorities.

The U.S. military denied one of its drones was shot down. "Alleged reports of a U.S. drone being shot down are incorrect," U.S. Central Command said in a post on Twitter.

In June, Iran shot down a U.S. surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said the drone "violated" its territorial airspace, while the United States called the incident "an unprovoked attack" in international airspace over the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, Fox News, and Mehr News

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