Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had shot down a US MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Strait of Hormuz after it was detected by the country's air defence systems.

According to a statement issued by the IRGC's public relations office, the advanced MQ-1 drone was detected while flying over the Strait of Hormuz by an air defence system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force.

The IRGC said the air defence system, operating as part of Iran's integrated air defence network, tracked the UAV before successfully destroying it.

Iranian media identified the aircraft as belonging to the United States.

Iran's announcement came at a time of continuing military tensions with the United States around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important maritime waterways.

The waterway is a vital route for global energy shipments and has remained a focal point of heightened regional tensions.

Iran has previously announced similar interceptions of US unmanned systems operating near the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier the same day, the IRGC also said it had seized an unmanned US underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, describing the incidents as part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard Iran's territorial waters and national security.(ILKHA)