Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a strong warning to the United States, accusing it of violating Iranian airspace and threatening severe retaliation if the current ceasefire is breached.
In a statement released Tuesday, the IRGC claimed its forces shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone that allegedly entered Iranian airspace. The group also said it fired at an F-35 fighter jet and another drone, forcing them to retreat.
However, the IRGC did not specify exactly when the incidents took place.
The statement came a day after the U.S. military announced that it had carried out what it described as “defensive strikes” Monday night against Iranian missile launch sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to those operations, the IRGC warned that any violation of the ceasefire would be met with a direct response.
According to Iran’s state-run media, the IRGC statement said: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns against any violation of the ceasefire by the aggressive U.S. military. Iran considers responding to such aggression its legitimate and guaranteed right.”
There have been previous incidents of exchanges of fire between U.S. and Iranian forces during periods of ceasefire. However, the latest escalation has raised fresh concerns over the durability of the current truce, CNN reported.
