Footage from an IRGC source reportedly shows thermal targeting of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone near Qeshm Island over the Strait of Hormuz. In the video, green and yellow reticles lock onto a bright heat signature of an aircraft-like object and follow it across the screen. The footage lines up with the IRGC's November 3 claim that it downed its 55th MQ-9 using a new air defense system. The IRGC also said it intercepted two MQM-170 drones near Qeshm using electronic warfare. The clip shows the target being acquired and tracked, but no missile impact and no wreckage.

US officials have not confirmed losing any aircraft, so the IRGC's version is still an unverified claim. The video comes as tensions over the strategic waterway keep climbing, with reports that limited US strikes hit radar and missile sites on Qeshm in response to earlier Iranian actions. The Strait of Hormuz carries about one-fifth of the world's oil shipments, so even small incidents there draw global attention. Iranian shootdown claims have often arrived without independent confirmation, which is why the missing impact footage matters. Until Washington or an independent source weighs in, the big question is whether this is a real kill or just a very dramatic lock-on.