IRGC Announces Continuation of Drone Patrols in the Persian Gulf

Following statements from a U.S. Navy spokesperson regarding the "unprofessional and dangerous" flight of an Iranian drone near an American aircraft carrier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that "drone patrols in the Persian Gulf" will continue regardless of these remarks. According to Reuters, Ian McCane, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy's Central Command, stated on Monday, August 14, that an Iranian drone approached an American aircraft carrier in international waters. The report indicated that this Iranian drone came within 300 meters of the USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy spokesperson noted that the drone did not use navigation lights while passing near the Nimitz on Sunday night, describing the action as "unprofessional and dangerous." He emphasized that the Iranian drone did not respond to radio contact requests. Ian McCane stated that the lack of navigation lights could have led to a collision and such actions violate maritime customs and international laws. Meanwhile, the IRGC's drone unit responded to the U.S. Navy spokesperson's comments by stating that "our aerial patrol mission within the country's air defense identification zone (A.D.I.Z) is conducted normally and daily in compliance with current laws." According to Mehr news agency, the statement rejected the U.S. Navy spokesperson's characterization of the drone's flight as dangerous, asserting that "IRGC drones are equipped to navigation standards and are operated precisely and professionally, and the American claims stem from their diagnostic and identification system weaknesses or projection." The IRGC's drone unit stationed in the Persian Gulf also announced: "IRGC drone patrols in mission areas will continue accurately and continuously within the framework of protecting the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, regardless of the psychological operations of foreign forces in the Persian Gulf." This incident marks the latest confrontation between an Iranian drone and the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf over the past week. Last week, an American official reported that an Iranian drone came within 30 meters of an American fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, which was also described as "dangerous and unprofessional." In May, the U.S. Navy reported a "tense" confrontation between one of its destroyers and an IRGC vessel in the Persian Gulf, stating that the American destroyer fired warning shots at the IRGC boat. American officials have previously described the actions of IRGC vessels approaching their ships as "unprofessional" and "dangerous," and White House officials have warned of the "risk of miscalculation" arising from these confrontations. The recent confrontation follows the signing by U.S. President Donald Trump on August 2 of new sanctions approved by Congress against Iran, Russia, and North Korea, which paves the way for further sanctions against the IRGC.