Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on May 31 that it used a new air defense system to shoot down a US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC also claimed it engaged a US F-35, but US Central Command confirmed the MQ-1 loss and denied that an F-35 was involved. The MQ-1, a surveillance and strike drone, reportedly operated in international airspace, can remain airborne for up to 24 hours and carries Hellfire missiles. US forces later launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian air defense systems and other military assets. The incident echoes Iran’s June 2019 downing of a US RQ-4 Global Hawk, but differs because the US carried out strikes in response. The disputed F-35 claim adds to tensions over competing accounts of the encounter; if true, it would represent a major escalation and expose a serious vulnerability for the fighter. CENTCOM’s denial suggests the claim was either fabricated for domestic consumption or resulted from misidentifying the aircraft.