2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone
On June 20, 2019, Iran's integrated system of Air Defense Forces shot down a United States RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone with a surface-to-air missile over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the U.S. differ on where the incident actually occurred. Iranian officials said that the drone violated their airspace, while U.S. officials responded that the drone was in international airspace.
| 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone | |
|---|---|
| Part of 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis | |
| Location | Strait of Hormuz |
| Target | United States Northrop RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone |
| Date | June 20, 2019 04:05 IRDT |
| Executed by | Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force |
| Outcome | Drone destroyed |
The incident occurred amid rising tensions between the two countries and nearly resulted in an armed confrontation. U.S. President Donald Trump initially ordered a military strike against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) radar and missile sites before reversing the decision. Instead, the U.S. retaliated with cyberattacks on the IRGC's missile-control systems (which Iran says were firewalled), announced new sanctions against several Iranian nationals, and requested a closed-door UN Security Council meeting to address the regional tensions.