Iran possesses advanced drones, Defense Minister says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran possesses drones that are far more advanced than the unmanned aircraft Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched into Israeli airspace this month, Iran's defense minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, October 28, according to Reuters.

Iran's military regularly announces defense and engineering developments though some analysts are skeptical of the reliability of such reports.

Earlier this month, Israel shot down a drone after it flew 25 miles into the Jewish state. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the aircraft, saying its parts had been manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the downed drone did not use his country's latest know-how, according to a report from Iran's Mehr news agency on Sunday.

Vahidi had earlier said that the drone's launch into Israel was a sign of the Islamic Republic's military capabilities.

In April, Iran announced it had started to build a copy of a U.S. surveillance drone, the RQ-170 Sentinel, which was captured last year after it came down near the Afghan border.

Tensions in the region have simmered over Iran's disputed nuclear program and Israeli threats to bomb its nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Iranian nuclear activity the West suspects is meant to develop a weapons capability.

Tehran says it is seeking only civilian nuclear energy.

In a speech on Saturday evening, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to present the country as a defender of peace and security in the Gulf region, echoing comments made in the past by Iranian military leaders.

Iranian officials have said previously that the country could block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world's sea-borne oil trade, or strike U.S. military bases in the region if it is attacked.