An unnamed U.S. official told AP that overnight, the U.S. had conducted “defensive strikes” on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The official said that “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets” had been targeted. Officials later confirmed to Fox News that the “defensive” strike does not indicate a return to full-blown U.S. military strikes in Iran.

A couple of hours later, the Iranians claimed to have taken down two U.S. MQM-170 drones and an MQ-9 Reaper drone. The MQM-170 is a target drone used for training air defense crews but also has some reconnaissance capabilities. It may be that the U.S. has deployed the MQM-170 as an expendable surrogate for the larger and much more expensive Reaper. According to the IRGC, Iranian air defenses have shot down 55 Reapers.