Pakistan, Nov. 7 -- The Iranian military claimed it destroyed an American MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. According to reports from the semi-official Mehr news , Iran's army public relations department confirmed the downing of the hostile US aircraft. Furthermore, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that this incident marks the sixteenth American drone downed over the area recently. Consequently, military activity around the Persian Gulf continues to heighten risks for international shipping lanes. Therefore, regional defense forces remain on maximum operational alert along Iran's southern coastline. Ultimately, the downing underscores volatile security conditions across critical maritime ...