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Tehran gears up for war games with drone details
Source: Agencies |
September 26, 2012, Wednesday
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IRANIAN military leaders gave details of a new long-range drone and test fired four anti-ship missiles yesterday in a prelude to upcoming naval war games planned in an apparent response to US-led warship drills in the Persian Gulf.
The show of Iranian military readiness and its latest tool - a domestically made drone capable of reaching Israel and most of the Middle East - also came as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly today amid a deepening impasse with the West over Tehran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad on Monday held open hope for renewed dialogue with the United States, but told reporters in New York that Iran was "fully ready" to defend itself from attacks. In Tehran, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, also warned that US bases in the Gulf could face retaliatory strikes if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites.
Uranium enrichment
The West and its allies fear Iran's uranium enrichment program could lead to atomic weapons, but the US and others favor a mix of sanctions and diplomacy to try to force Tehran to curb its nuclear program. Iran said it only seeks nuclear power for peaceful needs.
Yesterday, Hajizadeh described the new drone as a key strategic addition to Iran's military capabilities with the ability to carry out reconnaissance missions or be armed with "bombs and missiles."
Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division, said the Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometers. That covers much of the Middle East, including Israel, and nearly doubles the range of previous drones produced by Iranian technicians.
But it's unclear whether the new drone contains any elements of an unmanned CIA aircraft that went down in eastern Iran in December. Iran said it has recovered data from the RQ-170 Sentinel and claimed it was building its own replica.
The show of Iranian military readiness and its latest tool - a domestically made drone capable of reaching Israel and most of the Middle East - also came as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly today amid a deepening impasse with the West over Tehran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad on Monday held open hope for renewed dialogue with the United States, but told reporters in New York that Iran was "fully ready" to defend itself from attacks. In Tehran, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, also warned that US bases in the Gulf could face retaliatory strikes if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites.
Uranium enrichment
The West and its allies fear Iran's uranium enrichment program could lead to atomic weapons, but the US and others favor a mix of sanctions and diplomacy to try to force Tehran to curb its nuclear program. Iran said it only seeks nuclear power for peaceful needs.
Yesterday, Hajizadeh described the new drone as a key strategic addition to Iran's military capabilities with the ability to carry out reconnaissance missions or be armed with "bombs and missiles."
Hajizadeh, who heads the Guard's aerospace division, said the Shahed-129, or Witness-129, has a range of 2,000 kilometers. That covers much of the Middle East, including Israel, and nearly doubles the range of previous drones produced by Iranian technicians.
But it's unclear whether the new drone contains any elements of an unmanned CIA aircraft that went down in eastern Iran in December. Iran said it has recovered data from the RQ-170 Sentinel and claimed it was building its own replica.
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