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Iran and the regional forces it backs have increasingly relied
in recent years on drones in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and the Strait
of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.
Iran's armed forces are to test combat drones used as bombers,
interceptors and in reconnaissance missions in the two-day
exercises in central Semnan province, the semi-official Fars
news agency said.
Beyond surveillance, Iranian drones can drop munitions and also
carry out a "kamikaze" flight when loaded with explosives and
flown into a target, according to a U.S. official who spoke to
Reuters last year https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-drones-idUSKCN1UC1X4.
Iran has developed a large domestic arms industry in the face of
international sanctions and embargoes that bar it from importing
many weapons.
Western military analysts say Iran often exaggerates its weapons
capabilities, though concerns about its long-range ballistic
missile programme contributed to Washington leaving Tehran's
2015 nuclear pact with world powers.
The exercises coincided with increased tensions between Iran and
the United States, two days after the first anniversary of the
killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone
strike at Baghdad airport, and two weeks before President-elect
Joe Biden takes office. Biden aims to revive the nuclear
agreement, though diplomacy is expected to be tricky.
On Monday Iranian forces seized a South Korean tanker in the
Gulf, and Tehran also announced plans to increase uranium
enrichment.
(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Peter Graff)
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