During the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran’s top general said that Western claims that Russia is using its drones against Ukraine show the “effectiveness” of Tehran’s unmanned aerial vehicles. During the months-long conflict, Kyiv and its Western allies have said that Russia attacked Ukraine with drones made in Iran and caused a lot of damage to its civilian and energy infrastructure.
In response, the West has put sanctions on a number of Iranian businesses and military generals, including the head of Iran’s military, Major General Mohammad Bagheri.
Tehran admitted at the beginning of November that it had sent drones to Russia before the February invasion, even though it had repeatedly denied sending weapons “to be used” in the conflict in Ukraine.
“The use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war is part of the enemy’s psychological warfare,” Bagheri was quoted as saying. He was referring to the United States and its allies when he said this.
“Even though many of these claims may not be true, this shows how good, important, and high-ranking the Islamic republic is when it comes to drones.”
Israel and the United States, which are Iran’s worst enemies, have said that Tehran sends drone fleets to its proxies in the Middle East, such as the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, and the Huthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran started making drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in the 1980s, during its eight-year war with Iraq.
Bagheri says that Iran will keep working on UAVs.
“The country’s armed forces will continue to grow and improve their drones,” he told Tasnim. “We will work with other countries on drones.”
“Our drone systems are among the best in the world when it comes to accuracy, durability, and continuity of operation and mission completion,” he said.
