Iran's army says it shot down a U.S. Lucas drone over Bandar Abbas

As of 6:11 a.m. ET, Oct. 25, 2026

Iran's army says its air defenses shot down a U.S. "Lucas" drone over the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Sunday morning, according to Iranian state media. The claim has not been independently verified.

A U.S. Lucas drone "was hit and destroyed in the sky over Bandar Abbas by fire from the Army's air defense systems operating under the country's integrated air defense network," the army's public relations office said, as reported by the semi-official Mehr News Agency. Mehr said the army's air defense forces carried out the action Sunday morning local time.

IRNA English posted the same army account: Army Air Defense forces "destroyed a Lucas drone belonging to the aggressor US military in the skies above Bandar Abbas." Reuters, citing Tasnim, also reported the Iranian army's claim.

No U.S. response

The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command had not publicly responded to the Iranian claim as of this writing. No U.S. official has confirmed that a U.S. drone was lost, or that one was operating over Bandar Abbas.

Earlier claim

Mehr noted that on Oct. 20, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a U.S. MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. That claim was separate from Sunday's army statement.

What is not known

The Iranian statements as reported did not give an exact time, describe any wreckage or say how the drone was identified. There is no confirmation from U.S. or other non-Iranian sources, and no independent verification of the shootdown, the drone type or any debris. The type "Lucas" comes from the Iranian army statement only.