"Many spy planes and ultra-modern aircraft of our enemies have been shot down (by our forces) ... We have also shot down two spy planes in the Persian Gulf," said commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the elite forces' aerospace unit. "But it is the first time we are announcing it".
He did not say when the aircraft had been shot down, but described them as "Western drone reconnaissance" aircraft.
Iran is at odds with major powers over its nuclear activities, which the United States and its allies suspect are intended to enable Iran to produce nuclear bombs. Iran denies the allegations and says it wants to generate only electricity.
The United States and Israel, Iran's main foes, do not rule out military action if diplomacy fails to end the nuclear row.
Hajizadeh said the enemies — a term used by Iranian authorities for the United States and its allies — had been using the drones mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan. "But there has been cases of violations of our airspace by their drones," the commander said.
Iran has dismissed reports of possible US or Israeli plans to strike Iran, but says it would respond by attacking US interests and Israel if any such assault was made.
In another development, a senior Iranian MP called on Turkey to expose the "Zionist kidnappers" of a former deputy defense minister who went missing in Istanbul in 2007, Fars reported.
"Turkey is expected to release the name of the terrorists from the Mossad spy agency," the head of Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Borujerdi said.
"Those who had a role in kidnapping (Ali Reza) Asghari in Turkey should be named so the Zionists' crime is fully exposed," he added.
Turkey is a close ally of Iran and is set to host the next round of talks between Tehran and six world powers over the country's nuclear program.
On Friday, acting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, following reports that Asghari may have died in an Israeli jail, asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for help in discovering his fate.
Asghari went missing in February 2007 after checking into a hotel in Istanbul during a private visit. At the time of his disappearance, Iran accused Israel of snatching Asghari, and media in Israel reported that the Jewish state's intelligence agency, Mossad, had abducted him.
Salehi's appeal to the UN chief came after Iranian officials and media cited reports posted on Israeli news websites which alleged that Asghari had committed suicide in an Israeli prison.
Iranian officials and media said the website reports were later removed.
