The power of drones, Iran is an important player in the international market / The New York Times reported

According to IRNA from the New York Times, Iran has increased the sale of drone technology to countries outside the Middle East as it seeks to become a player in the international market.

The New York Times writes: According to news media, satellite and defense images, Iran is now seeking to increase its global influence and sell advanced drones with advanced weapons capabilities commercially to other countries, including countries that have been under various sanctions in recent years. are located, like Venezuela and Sudan.

It is an important source of capital and political influence for Iran, which the US is trying to hamper with US financial restrictions.

Now, Russia is considered as a potential customer of Iran’s drones. Washington claimed last week that it has information that Moscow plans to buy hundreds of drones from Iran to bolster its arsenal for the war in Ukraine. American officials asked Iran not to sell drones to Russia and warned of the consequences for both countries.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that the country’s military cooperation with Russia was before the war. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica in July that the country has no plans to help Russia in the Ukraine war or provide military equipment to either side.

Last week, the commander of the Iranian army, Brigadier General Kiyomarth Heydari, in a speech stating that Iran is ready to export weapons and military equipment to friendly countries, said that Iranian drones “are operating far away and beyond our borders”.

“Iran is increasingly becoming a global player in terms of drone exports,” says Seth Frantzman, a defense analyst and drone expert.

Referring to the advanced Mohajer-6 drone, which has a range of about 125 miles and the ability to carry precision-guided munitions, and it is claimed that it is currently seen in places such as the Horn of Africa, he says that countries see Iran’s drones as a game changer. Potential currents look.

Franzmann added that Iranian drones cost less than other models on the market, but are improving and have proven their worth on battlefields across the Middle East.

According to the New York Times, Tehran started developing drones in the 1980s during the imposed war. According to experts’ analysis, despite the severe sanctions that have been imposed on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs in recent years, this country has managed to produce and possess a wide range of military drones that are used for both surveillance and attack.

In recent years, this program has become a great concern for the Zionist regime and the United States. The US Department of Defense said in a statement on July 30 that Iran’s “expanded network of offensive unmanned aerial systems,” or drones, was the main topic of discussion at a recent regional security meeting in Qatar.

According to Frantzman, Iranian drones still remain largely on the fringes of the global market, mostly bought by low-income or embargoed countries that cannot afford them elsewhere. Iran also faces tough competition from powers such as Turkey, whose Bayraktar TB2 drone was purchased by countries such as Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, and was welcomed by Ukraine in the war with Russia.

The UN embargo, aimed at preventing the sale and purchase of Iranian weapons, ended in 2020, despite the protests of the United States, which wanted to extend it. According to analysts, with the lifting of these sanctions, a significant legal hurdle for Iran to export its drones and consolidate its status as a global player in drone technology has been removed.

In fact, early signs that Iran would benefit from the lifting of sanctions and increased exports of drones appeared in September of last year.

Western diplomats confirmed Ethiopia’s receipt of Iranian drones to The New York Times, and the US Treasury Department later publicly confirmed this last October by imposing new sanctions on Iran’s drone program.

In March, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Iran’s Mohajer-6 aircraft would be sold to some countries.

In July of this year, Maduro showcased Iranian armed combat drones built using Mohajer-2 assembly kits. In March, Israel accused Iran of providing some countries with precision guided missiles for use in drones.

A military analyst also published a video on his YouTube channel in January in which he said Iran was exporting drones.

He said: The Islamic Republic of Iran has long reached the level of mass production in the production of various drones, and since drones are efficient and some countries have been eager for these drones, in recent years Iran has developed drones such as New Mohajer-2 (M2-N) and Mohajer -6 (M6) and even Ababil (AB-2) have been issued.

Iran also has political and financial incentives to sell drones to countries, and the sale of these drones allows Tehran to establish international ties despite the West’s efforts to isolate itself, and an additional source of income in addition to the oil sold, in contrast to Provide sanctions.

In May, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Armed Forces, traveled to Tajikistan to inaugurate the Ababil-2 UAV factory. The media covered the event widely, calling it a milestone in the domestic drone technology development program and a sign that Iran is now a real player in the drone market.

“The Iranians have built this capacity to produce high-quality drones, so it’s not surprising that other countries are interested in such technologies,” said an associate military analyst at the Washington Institute specializing in Iran’s defense industry, who declined to be named. »

He said: Iranian drones should be taken seriously.