TEHRAN, Aug 22 (Aljazeera) – Iran has unveiled a new drone that it says is capable of striking targets in Israel.
The Iranian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics unveiled the Mohajer-10 on Tuesday as part of an exhibition and ceremonies marking Defence Industry Day.
President Ebrahim Raisi and senior commanders in the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attended the event.
The unmanned attack aircraft, which resembles the MQ-9 Reaper manufactured by the United States, was also shown in videos taking off from an unidentified airstrip and flying. It is said to be capable of carrying a variety of bombs and anti-radar equipment and of conducting surveillance.
According to state-linked media, the latest version of the Mohajer, which was first developed during the eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s, can carry a 300kg (660lb) warhead, fly at a maximum speed of 210 kilometres per hour (130 miles per hour) and hold 450 litres (120 gallons) of fuel.
The media reports said the drone can travel non-stop at an altitude of 7,000 metres (4,350ft) for up to 2,000km (1,242 miles), meaning that it could reach Israel.
Iranian media on Tuesday also published a poster of the Mohajer-10, which depicted it flying in clouds overlooking the Dimona nuclear facilities in Israel with the words “Be ready to travel to the Stone Age”, written above it in Farsi and Hebrew.
Standing in front of an assortment of large missiles and flanked by military commanders, Raisi announced during the ceremonies on Tuesday that two previously unveiled long-range ballistic missiles are now ready to be handed over to the IRGC.
These include the Haj Qassem, named after General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in Iraq in January 2020, reportedly using an MQ-9 Reaper, and the Khorramshahr, named after the city whose recapture in 1982 marked a turning point in staving off the Iraqi invasion of Iran.
Raisi told state television that Iran’s military advances have significantly altered the way Tehran is viewed in the region and across the world.
Western powers continue to accuse Tehran of supplying drones – including an earlier version of the Mohajer – to Russia for use in Ukraine. Iran maintains it supplied drones to Moscow months before the war and has called for dialogue to stop the fighting .
The unveiling comes one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for funding and encouraging a shooting attack on Israelis in Hebron in the occupied West along with other recent attacks against Israelis. Also on Monday, Israel launched an air strike in Syria targeting Iranian interests.
