LONDON: Iran is stepping up production of military-capable drones, delivering its technology to terrorist groups in the Middle East as well as countries such as Venezuela and Sudan, the US has warned.
The New York Times cited Iranian media outlets, satellite images and US defense experts to suggest that Tehran is trying to increase its influence in the drone market.
Last week, Iranian state media quoted the head of the army, Brigadier. General Kiumars Haidari said Tehran is “ready to export arms and military equipment to Allied countries,” and that its drones are already “operated far and wide beyond our borders.”
Drone expert and defense analyst Seth Frantzman told the NYT: “Iran is fast becoming a global player in terms of drone exports. The fact is that newer drones, such as the Mohajar-6 (a military-capable one with a range of about 125 miles) Iranian drones) are now being seen in places like the Horn of Africa, indicating that countries see them as a potential game-changer.”
Iran’s drone program has worried its regional rivals. Despite sanctions, Tehran has been able to produce a range of machines for both surveillance and offensive operations, where Israel has targeted and sabotaged Iranian drone production facilities.
Iran still lags behind the likes of Turkey in drone production, however, as Ankara’s Bayraktar TB2 has proved decisive on the battlefields from Azerbaijan to Ethiopia in recent years.
In August 2020, however, the UN sanctions on the purchase and sale of weapons by Iran ended, making it easier for the country to become a major player in the drone market.
On July 21, the US Department of Defense stated that the drone program was a major topic of conversation at the recent regional security conference in Qatar.
Since the lifting of sanctions, Iranian drones have been seen in various military theatres, including the civil war in Ethiopia, where a Mohajar-6 was filmed following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a visit to a military base, which Was armed with air. surface missiles.
In February, the sale of the Mojar-6 drone to Venezuela was confirmed by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, citing footage of President Nicolas Maduro standing next to one in 2020.
Venezuela’s Defense Ministry later confirmed that the country had been purchasing an older model, the Mojar-2, since 2007, when UN arms embargoes were imposed.
Iran has also supplied drones to Sudan, yet Khartoum is still under arms embargo.
“The Islamic Republic has long reached mass production levels in the production of various drones including military surveillance and suicide drones and now has a huge stock,” Iranian military analyst Hossein Dalirian told NYT.
Tehran has been able to build a network of clients between nations and proxy groups outside the West’s sphere of influence, including Yemen and Lebanon.
That policy includes offshoring of production to other countries, including Venezuela and Tajikistan.
General Mohammad Bagheri, Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Armed Forces, visited Tajikistan in May to inaugurate a factory producing the Ababel-2 drone – the first designated factory of Iranian drones abroad.
Tehran’s drones have been used extensively in attacks against US bases in Syria, as well as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Israel in October last year.
Farzin Nadimi, a military analyst and associate at the Washington Institute, told the NYT: “They (Iran) have built this viable drone capability, so it’s no surprise that other countries are interested in acquiring such technologies. Iranian drones should be taken seriously as a weapon.”