Tehran, May 31 -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that its air defence units shot down a US MQ-1 drone after it allegedly entered Iranian territorial airspace in the early hours of Sunday, according to Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim.

According to the Iranian news agency, the statement said the aerial vehicle was immediately detected by the IRGC's surveillance and air defence systems and was subsequently targeted by advanced air defence missiles. Iranian authorities claimed the drone was successfully destroyed.

The IRGC characterised the aircraft belonging to the US Army and justified the claimed shooting down of the drone as it claimed that the drone entered with the "intention of carrying out hostile o...