A senior Iranian official claimed on Sunday (December 25th) that Western accusations that Russia was using Iranian drones in Ukraine proved “efficiencyof these devices.
“The atmosphere currently created by the world of arrogance (a reference to the United States and its allies) regarding the use of Iranian drones in the war in Ukraine, is part of the psychological warfare of the enemy“, declared the chief of staff, the general of division Mohammad Bagheri, quoted by the agency Tasnim. “While many of the accusations may turn out to be false, they do show the efficiency and high level of the Islamic Republic in the field of drones.“, he added.
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kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks on Ukraine, causing significant damage to civilian and energy infrastructure. In response, the West sanctioned several Iranian companies and generals, including General Bagheri. Tehran has repeatedly denied supplying weapons for use in the war in Ukraine, but admitted in early November that it sent drones to Russia before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February.
Iran began manufacturing drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the 1980s during its eight-year war with Iraq. The United States and Israel, sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic, accuse Tehran of sending fleets of drones to its allies in the Middle East, including Lebanese Hezbollah, the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Houthi rebels from Yemen.
General Bagheri said that Iran would continue to develop drones: “The country’s armed forces will continue to grow and develop their drones (…), we will cooperate with other countries on drones“, he said, quoted by Tasnim. “Our drone systems rank high in the world in terms of accuracy, durability, continuity, function and execution of various missions“, he added.