Iran has shot down 154 US, Israeli drones since conflict began — military

Lead

Iranian military officials say their air defenses have shot down a total of 154 American and Israeli drones since late February, following what they describe as the latest interceptions last week.

According to a statement from the Iranian army press service, reported by TASS, two MQ-9 drones were intercepted over the city of Shiraz. The statement, quoted by the Tasnim news agency, says the two drones take the total number of downed UAVs to 154.

The figure and the MQ-9 identification come from a single source — the Iranian military's press service — and could not be independently verified.

Coverage Comparison

The claim about the total number of downed drones appears only in the TASS report, which relayed the Iranian military's statement. The South China Morning Post's coverage, meanwhile, featured a separate incident: the downing of a drone over Shiraz, which Iran said was a Chinese-made Wing Loong II, and a subsequent demand for explanations from two Gulf states. The South China Morning Post also noted that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are known to operate the Wing Loong II, a reconnaissance and precision strike drone.

The exact timing of the drone downings is not entirely clear from the reports. The South China Morning Post says the Wing Loong II was shot down on Thursday, according to Esmail Baqaei, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry. The TASS report says the two MQ-9s were intercepted "several hours ago" as of April 2.

It is possible that the two reports describe the same incident or separate events; the available accounts do not reconcile the two claims.

Key Claims

* Iran says it intercepted two MQ-9 drones in the skies over Shiraz and that the total number of US and Israeli drones has reached 154 since February 28. This claim originates from the Iranian military's press service and is reported by a single outlet. * A drone shot down over Shiraz was initially reported by Iran's Tasnim news agency as an American MQ-9 Reaper, but later identification determined that the debris is a Wing Loong II, a Chinese-made drone of similar size and appearance, according to the South China Morning Post. * Esmail Baqaei, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, posted photos of drone wreckage on social media and said the drone could be "evidence of direct participation and active complicity" by some neighboring countries in what he called "the crime of aggression and war crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran." He demanded a clarification from the two Gulf states that operate the drone, specifically saying: "[Clarification] is needed by either of the TWO STATES of the region that are the users of this drone!" (as quoted by the South China Morning Post)

Perspectives

Iranian officials view the downing of drones and their demands for explanation as a defensive response, positioning their actions as countermeasures. The Gulf states have not publicly responded to the accusation; their silence potentially leaves room for controversy. The involvement of Chinese-made equipment adds an international and technical dimension to the conflict. There's no fully independent verification of the drone types or the exact number of downed drones, so a range of potential targets remains possible, from lethal airstrikes to surveillance missions.