[ad_1]
Iranian media reported, according to the Army Public Relations Department, that its drones intercepted 3 US drones near the area of ongoing Iranian maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian military made it clear that it sent successive messages to US drones warning that they were entering Iranian airspace over the maneuvering area, before sending their drones to intercept them.
The army reported on its website that a B-8 plane and two MQ-9 and RQ-4 drones had entered Iranian air defenses and were detected by air force radars.
According to Iranian reports, the US drones changed course and left the area of the maneuvers that has been underway for two days after being intercepted.
The RQ-4, known as the Global Hawk, is the same type as a plane that was shot down by Iranian air defenses in June 2019 when Tehran said it violated its airspace.
Tensions have risen between Washington and Tehran since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal between the five countries (the Big Five and Germany) with Iran over the latter’s nuclear program in 2018.
Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran, which about a year later breached some of its obligations under the agreement signed in Vienna in 2015.
Tension and responses
Tensions rose dramatically after the United States assassinated the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, General Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport last January.
Tehran responded to this operation by targeting Al-Asad’s base in western Iraq, which contains US soldiers.
Starting last Thursday, the Iranian army began naval exercises that will last 3 days near the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, the Iranian Navy deployed domestically made military equipment, including a submarine and cruise missiles.
The army stated on its website that the submarine called “Al Fateh” appeared during operations for the first time and sailed into the Indian Ocean.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered a strategic step (Reuters)Maneuvers and tests
The maneuver, dubbed “Zulfiqar 99”, is being carried out in a marine area that stretches over two million square kilometers, starting from the northern Indian Ocean to the eastern end of the Strait of Hormuz, which is considered a strategic transit point through which one fifth of world oil production passes.
The Iranian Navy also tested the launch of a “Qadir” cruise missile, which was first unveiled in 2014, indicating that it managed to hit its target at a distance of more than 200 km.
The commander of the Navy, Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, said that the installation of missile systems on the southern coast of the country “allowed us to target any threat at sea and from any point.”
“The issue is not related to deterrence, but to attacking any target that may pose a threat to Iran,” state television reported.
Videos broadcast on state television showed the missile being launched from a portable system mounted on a truck, and Khanzadi thanked the crew afterward.
The navy said a homemade “Simorgh” combat drone also destroyed its targets using “smart and precise bombs” in waters more than 1,000 km away.
[ad_2]
