US House Passes Stop Iranian Drones Act

A drone at the Iranian army's annual parade last week (Iranian Presidency)
A drone at the Iranian army's annual parade last week (Iranian Presidency)
TT
20

US House Passes Stop Iranian Drones Act

A drone at the Iranian army's annual parade last week (Iranian Presidency)
A drone at the Iranian army's annual parade last week (Iranian Presidency)

The US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) to end its drone program and impose sanctions on its supporters.

The bill was approved by 424 votes against two and required approval from the Senate and a presidential signature to become law.

Republicans Tom Massie and Marjorie Greene were against the bill.

The bill promises to punish those who deal with the Iranian regime in the drones' program under the US Sanctions on conventional weapons.

Democratic Representative Ted Deutsch tweeted: "time, and again, Iran has used UAVs to threaten global stability and US interests. Congress countered this destabilizing behavior today and passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act."

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said the Act would stop Iran or Iranian allies from acquiring combat drones that could be used against US troops or US allies.

Alleging that Iran is "the world's leading exporter of terrorism," Stefanik said the world should know Washington will "use every tool at its disposal to cut off Iran's access to deadly weapons."

The legislators spoke of the importance of approving such a draft as Iran uses the drones to spread panic in the Middle East and attack US forces, Israel, and allies in the region.

They urged the Senate to pass the exact version of the bill quickly ahead of sending it for signing at the White House.

Last December, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, warned of the danger of drones against the US and its allies in the Middle East.

McCaul said that "these attacks are intolerable" whether Iran launches the attack, the Houthis, Iran-backed militia groups, or other Iran-sponsored entities.

"The people of the Middle East, including Americans living there, cannot live in freedom, stability, or prosperity under assault by Iran's drones," said McCaul.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks pointed out that the "deadly drones in the hands of the world's greatest exporter of terrorism, Iran, jeopardizes the security of the United States and regional peace."

He asserted that the recent Iranian drone attacks on US troops, commercial shipping vessels, regional partners, and the export of drone technology to conflict zones pose a dire threat.

The Democratic representative stressed that the bill sends a strong signal to the international community that it supports the Iranian drone program and will not be tolerated by the US government.

The senators pledged to expedite the bill's approval, which was put forward by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Bob Menendez, and its top Republican, Jim Risch, in December.

The lawmakers behind the proposed legislation say it clarifies that US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons program under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) include the supply, sale, or transfer to or from Iran of drones, which can be used in attacks against the US or its allies.

"Iran's increasing reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles to attack US personnel and assets across the Middle East and shipping vessels, commercial facilities, and regional partners is a serious and growing menace to regional stability," said Menendez.

He warned that Iran's reckless export of this technology to proxies across the region represents a significant threat to human lives.

"We must do more to hold Iran accountable for its destabilizing behavior as we continue to confront the threat of its nuclear program."

Risch said the US must do more to halt "Iran's regional terrorism," as "we saw with recent Iranian-sponsored drone attacks on American troops and the Iraqi Prime Minister, as well as the constant attacks on Saudi Arabia."



Philippines, US Launch Joint Combat Drills in ‘Full Battle Test’

US Marines Lieutenant General James Glynn, commander of the US Marines Pacific, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Philippines-US joint military exercise called "Balikatan" or "Shoulder to Shoulder" at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP)
US Marines Lieutenant General James Glynn, commander of the US Marines Pacific, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Philippines-US joint military exercise called "Balikatan" or "Shoulder to Shoulder" at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Philippines, US Launch Joint Combat Drills in ‘Full Battle Test’

US Marines Lieutenant General James Glynn, commander of the US Marines Pacific, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Philippines-US joint military exercise called "Balikatan" or "Shoulder to Shoulder" at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP)
US Marines Lieutenant General James Glynn, commander of the US Marines Pacific, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Philippines-US joint military exercise called "Balikatan" or "Shoulder to Shoulder" at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP)

More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a "full battle test" between the two defense treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea.

The annual "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises will run for three weeks until May 9, showcasing an array of US weapons that include the NMESIS anti-ship missile system and HIMARS rocket launchers.

The Philippines will test its own modern missiles in live-fire exercises with American counterparts, according to a summary shared with media.

Lieutenant General James Glynn, the exercise director for the US side, described this year's drills as "full battle tests" where capabilities of both forces will be measured in multiple scenarios. Exercises include defending against missile threats, preventing invasions at sea, and sinking a decommissioned Philippine navy vessel in a maritime strike test.

"The full battle tests is intended to take into consideration all of the regional security challenges that we face today, beginning in the South China Sea," Glynn told a media briefing.

About 9,000 US soldiers and 5,000 Filipino troops are participating this year, officials said. Small contingents from Australia, Japan, Britain, France and Canada are also participating and 16 other countries have signed up as observers.

The exercises come as regional tensions simmer in Asia over China's activities in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, which neighbors the Philippines. Major General Francisco Lorenzo, the exercises director for the Philippines, said the drills were not directed at any country, but could act as deterrent against conflict.

"The Balikatan exercise may probably help deter the conflict in Taiwan. But for our concern, it is only for deterrence of any possible coercion or invasion to our country," Lorenzo said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Monday said Beijing firmly opposes any country using Taiwan as an excuse to strengthen regional military deployment and "provoke tension and confrontation".

"The parties concerned are advised not to provoke on the Taiwan issue, and those who play with fire will burn themselves," Guo said at a regular briefing.

Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated the past two years over run-ins between their coast guards in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims sovereignty over almost in its entirety.