Iran Claims to Have Shot Down American and Israeli UAVs
Media outlets identified with the regime in Tehran published photos they claim show American and Israeli aircraft that were shot down. No response has yet been received from official American or Israeli sources. At the same time, Iran is advancing a bill that would restrict the movement of Israeli and American vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media outlets identified with the regime published today (Friday) photos that they claim show aircraft from the USA and Israel that were shot down using the new air defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force. The photos were distributed, among others, by the Mizan news agency, which is identified with the Iranian judicial system, but no further details were provided and no independent verification of the claims was published.
The report comes hours after the semi-official Iranian news agency "Fars" reported that members of parliament in Iran are promoting a bill to regulate traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which includes restrictions on vessels and penalties for violators.
According to the report, the proposal, which is under review by the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, stated in its original version that vessels from the USA, Israel, and other countries that Iran defines as hostile would not be allowed to pass through the strait. In the updated version, the restrictions were expanded to also include military and civilian cargo related to Israeli vessels and to countries or entities that Iran claims have caused it damage, until compensation is paid.
It was further reported that violating the restrictions could result in fines of up to 20% of the value of the cargo on the ship. In addition, vessels that are permitted to pass through the strait would be required, according to the proposal, to pay navigation fees to the Iranian government in Iranian currency.
According to the report, the initiative to promote the bill was first published back in March, and in the following month an initial draft was distributed. The current version expands the scope of the proposed restrictions so that they apply to a larger number of vessels as well as to cargo.
