(TEHRAN) Iranian state television on Saturday broadcast for the first time images of an underground drone base belonging to the air force, located in the Zagros mountains in western Iran.
Posted at 2:19 p.m.
Iran is accused by the United States and Israel, its sworn enemies, of using drones and missiles to attack American forces and Israeli-linked ships in the Gulf, in order to destabilize the region.
In October 2021, Washington imposed sanctions targeting Iran’s drone program accused of supplying these weapons to its allies in the Middle East, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and the Palestinian movement Hamas in Gaza.
“More than a hundred combat, reconnaissance and destruction drones are in the base located in the heart of the Zagros Mountains,” the journalist said on television.
He did not specify the exact location of the base, but claimed to have “flew by helicopter” for “nearly 40 minutes” from the city of Kermanshah (west) to get there.
Television showed General Mohammad Bagheri, the armed forces chief of staff, and army commander Abdolrahim Moussavi visiting the base.
General Moussavi claimed that the base was “several hundred meters underground”.
According to the television, the “strategic” Kaman-22 drone with a range of at least 2000 km and equipped with a cruise missile with a range of 200 km is among the drones on this base.
Iran began developing drone programs in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).
“The army is rapidly developing its capabilities in the field of drones” and is working to “manufacture new drones for various missions”, General Bagheri said.
“There is no doubt that the Iranian armed forces are the first regional power in terms of drones given their capabilities,” said Mr. Moussavi.