US military denied

Tehran (dpa) — The US military has denied Iranian reports that a US drone was allegedly shot down over the Gulf.

The reports were false, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that no US aircraft had been shot down and all US air assets were accounted for.

The Tasnim news agency – which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – had earlier reported, citing a military source, that a missile had shot down a US drone near the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr.

The information from both sides could not initially be independently verified.

US military denied

Iran’s Fars news agency reported early on Friday that air defences stationed in Bushehr province had fired at an object over the Gulf.

According to Iranian reports, the US military struck an area of the airport in Bandar Abbas, on the Strait of Hormuz, early on Thursday. Before that, the IRGC had allegedly forced two ships in the strait to turn back with warning shots, prompting the US strike.

The US military said the strike near Bandar Abbas targeted a control centre used to operate drones that had threatened US and commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier this week, the US and Iran had already exchanged fire in the strait despite a ceasefire and ongoing negotiations to end the conflict.