Iran downs US drone over Qeshm

ISTANBUL:

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday it shot down a US MQ-1 drone flying over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the IRGC said its air defences detected the drone over the island before bringing it down with a newly developed system.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Tehran responded by attacking Israel and US military facilities in Arab countries.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 and began negotiations, which later stalled over disagreements on how to ensure safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities.