The American Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone took off from the Italian military base in Sigonella, Sicily, to carry out a mission off the coast of Iran, TASS reports, citing a source in the air traffic control circles of the Middle East.

The reconnaissance drone took off from the Sigonella military base and made several circles over the neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, close to Iranian airspace, the TASS source reported.

The drone, whose flights were previously recorded in this area, including in the immediate vicinity of the city of Bushehr, has been in the air for several hours and is flying at an altitude of more than 14.5 km.

The TASS source recalled that the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles can conduct real-time reconnaissance and surveillance over large areas of the sea and land, as well as supplement the capabilities of the Boeing P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft.

Earlier, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Italy had denied the US access to its Sigonella military base. Then, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that there was no tension between Rome and Washington due to media reports that American bombers heading to the Middle East war zone were denied access to the base located on the Italian island of Sicily.