Iran’s drone capabilities are nothing new. Over the last decade, Iran, thanks to its native scientists, has succeeded in developing a full range of combat, reconnaissance, and surveillance drones. The latest major achievement in this regard was unveiled earlier this month when the Iranian Army’s navy inaugurated Iran’s first drone carrier which included a variety of modern and advanced types of drones all produced and manufactured by Iranian experts in the Army and the Ministry of Defense.
Officials have highlighted the progress Iran has made in developing drones, which have increased Iran’s power exponentially. Two weeks ago, a lawmaker said Iran’s drone capabilities have increased the strength of Iran and the Resistance Axis. Mehrdad Veis-Karami told Iran’s state news agency IRNA that the Axis is now enjoying drone and missile power. Referring to the drone and missile power of the Resistance Front in Palestine and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, he said in the past “the Zionist regime used to respond to the firing of a single Kalashnikov bullet with an F-16 aircraft, but now we see it is in a weak position.”
Iran’s drones also strengthened its security. On Sunday, a senior lawmaker said Iran’s drone capabilities ensure security at a time when military tools are determining thins. “Today is not only the age of dialogue, but also the age of missiles, and the power of the Islamic Republic's missile drones guarantees the country's security,” the lawmaker, Ali Reza Salimi, who is a member of the Iranian parliament’s presiding board, said, according to IRNA.
With Iran’s drones assuming a high position in the country’s defense strategy, the West moved to portray them as a threat. The first step in this regard was taken by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who alleged that Iran was mulling supplying Russia with drones amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred [unmanned aerial vehicles], including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” Sullivan claimed. “It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already.”
A wave of Western propaganda ensued Sullivan’s allegation, with CNN reporting that Russian officials paid a visit to Iran to view its “weapons-capable drones.” Citing Sullivan, the American news channel said, “A Russian delegation has visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice in the last month to examine weapons-capable drones.”
These allegations were possibly made with the purpose of putting pressure on Iran to limit its drone program. But Iran is unlikely to restrict the program simply because all of Iran’s drones are developed domestically with pure indigenous technology and they play an important role in guaranteeing the country’s security. Iran is now a drone power and its achievements have been acknowledged even by its adversaries.
First published in Tehran Times