The IRGC says a new advanced air defense system brought down the U.S. drone, while naval mines set two tankers ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after they attempted to transit an unauthorized corridor.

TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz and set ablaze two oil tankers that attempted to transit an unauthorized corridor.

The IRGC said in a statement that its aerospace force detected the drone over the strategic waterway overnight and destroyed it using a new advanced air defense system operating within Iran's integrated air defense network.

The IRGC described the downed aircraft as the 54th MQ-9 lost by the U.S. military since the terrorist war on Iran began.

In a second announcement, the IRGC said naval mines planted by its navy detonated beneath two "violating" oil tankers in the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, setting the vessels ablaze and forcing them to stop.

The IRGC Navy warned that transit through the mined route is "illegal" and would result in the burning of violators' assets, adding that if the United States persists in malicious actions, oil companies would "pay an even steeper price".

Later Tuesday, the IRGC Navy said that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil struck a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz, exploded and caught fire.

The IRGC Navy said in a statement carried by IRNA that the vessel had switched off all radar and navigation systems and ignored repeated warnings as it attempted to exit the waterway through an unauthorized southern route before hitting the mine.

The IRGC Navy said owners and crews of vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are responsible for transiting through unauthorized routes, and that any movement that disregards the security of the strait will be dealt with decisively.

Separately, the Iranian Army's Navy said its surveillance teams identified a tanker that had caught fire in a prohibited zone after turning off its tracking systems and attempting to pass through the southern corridor despite prior warnings.

The army emphasized that responsibility for the consequences of uncoordinated movement rests with the violators.

The incidents mark the latest in a series of similar interceptions over the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Less than a month ago, the Iranian military announced the interception of a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone and an advanced Orbiter reconnaissance drone over the same waterway.

The IRGC said at the time that the MQ-1 had been retired from U.S. combat fleets years ago and that Washington had been forced to revert to using the older model after losing a significant number of MQ-9 drones during the war against Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz has become the focal point of escalating military confrontation. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an unprovoked war of aggression. Forty days later, on April 8, a ceasefire was reached due to Iran's resilience and effective counterattacks.

In July, the U.S. launched a series of lethal air strikes on Iran and enforced a naval blockade, breaching the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 to conclude the war.

In retaliation, the Iranian military struck key American positions throughout West Asia and announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, warned that "the era of hit-and-run is over" and that Iran "will absolutely not leave any blow unanswered".

Responding to reports that Washington had threatened an attack on the Kolang mountain nuclear facility and expected Iran not to respond, Baghaei said: "In practice, we have shown that we do not leave any blow unanswered; if our blow is not stronger, they will certainly be struck to the same extent."

He dismissed the notion of a U.S. strike followed by Iranian silence as "an illusion," adding that Iran has weathered eight months of an imposed war with pride and is prepared for any scenario.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the Armed Forces General Staff and commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, visited Iranian Army drone production lines and said what he observed reflected "readiness, motivation and new initiatives—precisely what Iran's armed forces need."

Abdollahi praised the Army's efforts in launching multiple drone production lines, saying the equipment built and upgraded by Army specialists is more advanced than previous models and benefits from lessons drawn from "the two recent wars."

He said Iran would deliver "a firmer response to enemy aggression in the future."

"Our enemies possess modern and new equipment, and we must, if necessary, respond with different methods and asymmetric equipment," Abdollahi said, adding that Iran would neutralize the enemy's expensive and advanced systems with "a wide range of cheap but effective equipment," which he described as "painful, worrying and costly for the enemy."

He emphasized self-sufficiency in the armed forces as the path set by the leadership.

"Our message to the enemies is that the dear people of Iran, and consequently the armed forces of the Islamic Republic, will deal seriously and decisively with any power and any aggressor against this land and the values stemming from the Islamic Revolution."