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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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The Iranian army has received a delivery of 1,000 drones on Monday amid growing tensions with Israel and the U.S, according to the semi-official outlet, Tasnim News Agency.
The drones, with a range of more than 1,200 miles, are known for their "high destructive power, the ability to bypass defensive layers due to their low radar cross-section (RCS), and the capacity for sustained, autonomous flight without a need for external control," said the news agency.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump transition team and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations for comment via email outside of business hours.
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Why It Matters
Iran appears to be preparing for President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House and possible tightening sanctions on oil. Tehran is bolstering its defense and strike capabilities as it fears potential attacks from Israel on its nuclear sites— the likelihood of which increases due to the close relationship between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has called the former the "best friend Israel has ever had in the White House."
What To Know
The drones with "advanced anti-fortification and stealth capabilities" were developed by Iran's Ministry of Defense alongside military scientists and "knowledge-based companies," still according to Tasnim.
As one of Iran's numerous recent weapons developments, Tehran's army received additional UAVs in 2024 suitable for a variety of purposes. The drones added to the Iranian army's collection a year ago include Ababil-4 and Ababil-5 drones, which can be used for reconnaissance, patrol missions, electronic warfare, data collection, and aerial combat, as well as Arash drones, which are capable of carrying out "long-range suicide" missions.
Iran's army has been indicating that it is preparing for further conflict with Israel or other enemies by conducting air defense exercises earlier this month, as reported by Reuters. State media said that the drills were part of two-month-long exercises that "included war games in which the elite Revolutionary Guards defended key nuclear installations in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones."
Iran launched a direct strike on Israel in April, and the two countries engaged in a series of retaliatory attacks, with Tehran's most recent occurring in October.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Iran Military wrote: "Iranian Army deploys 1,000 tactical drones with anti-fortification and stealth capabilities. The deployment, announced by Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, took place across several locations, with Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh in attendance."
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said in November following Israeli strikes in October said: "[W]e have not given up our right to react and we will react in our time and in the way we see fit."
Tom O'Donnell, an energy and geopolitical analyst based in Berlin, previously told Newsweek: "I would imagine that, like Biden, Trump will not want to do anything to Iran or have the Israelis do something to it that might make the Iranians fear for their existence. The Iranians can very easily launch missiles and drones and take out a considerable amount of production around the Gulf, causing a huge international oil crisis."
What Happens Next
Trump, who returns to the Oval Office on January 20, plans to reintroduce the "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, imposing sanctions meant to "bankrupt" Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons. This would constitute a continuation of the president-elect's strategy during his first term after the U.S. exit in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal.
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