Iran says it downed US MQ-1 drone over Qeshm Island
The claim follows an explosion believed to have been caused by a missile attack on an oil products tanker in the Gulf earlier on Thursday, killing one seafarer, the ship's manager said on Friday.
Iranian authorities announced on Friday that their air defenses had successfully destroyed a US MQ-1 drone over the strategic Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. The claim has not yet been independently verified by the United States. This comes in the wake of an explosion on Thursday, which was reportedly caused by a missile strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf.
The incident resulted in the death of a single seafarer, according to the ship's manager, who presented the news on Friday. The tanker involved was the MT Velos Sapphire, a vessel flagged under the Marshall Islands and sailing unladen towards Bahrain. The Greek management firm, Velos Tankers, conveyed their deep sorrow over the loss of one of their crew members, whose body was found fatally injured on board after initially being reported missing.
No other crew members sustained injuries; they managed to extinguish a fire sparked by the explosion. The ship was subsequently towed to Bahrain's Khalifa Bin Salman Port for further examination. The extent of the hull damage is currently under assessment.
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