Iranian forces have shot down at least two US MQ-1 unmanned aircraft in recent days, according to American officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News anonymously on Thursday.
The officials did not disclose where the drones were brought down or identify which MQ-1 variant was involved. CBS News noted that the US military has operated two main versions: the MQ-1 Predator, widely used during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before being retired by the Air Force in 2018, and the larger MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which remains in service with the Army, including special operations forces.
Both aircraft were developed primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, although they can also be equipped with Hellfire missiles. Their capabilities make them particularly useful around the Strait of Hormuz, where they can maintain surveillance over the strategic waterway, monitor Iranian military movements and track potential threats to US forces and commercial vessels.
If the aircraft lost were retired MQ-1 Predators, their combined value would be approximately $8 million, according to CBS News. Gray Eagles vary in cost by configuration and can be worth tens of millions of dollars.
The reported losses come after the destruction of at least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the United States began its war with Iran, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released this week. The CBO estimated the value of those losses at approximately $720 million and said an MQ-4C Triton was also destroyed, representing an additional loss of about $150 million.
US Central Command, which oversees American military operations against Iran, declined to comment to CBS News on Thursday.
The reported drone shootdowns come as military tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high. Although the two sides have conducted several rounds of negotiations during the conflict, fighting has continued in multiple parts of the region.
Last week, US forces struck several Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran subsequently launched a missile barrage at American bases in Jordan.
President Donald Trump said the following day that he expected the conflict to end immediately after the US midterm elections in November, saying Iran “can't hold out any longer."
On Thursday, Trump indicated that he was approaching a major decision on the next stage of the American military campaign.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me," Trump told Axios.