Conflicting Reports on Possible ‘Drone Attack’ Targeting Military Facility in Isfahan

Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
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Conflicting Reports on Possible ‘Drone Attack’ Targeting Military Facility in Isfahan

Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)

Conflicting reports emerged in Iran regarding a possible drone attack on a military facility in Isfahan province. While an agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards claimed that the attack was foiled, Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi refused to confirm the information.

“The Amir al-Momenin complex in Isfahan was the target of a failed attack by a small drone which was foiled by defense systems,” Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Reuters, quoting Tasnim, said the attempt did not cause any damage.

According to channels on Telegram, the facility targeted was affiliated with Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces.

When asked by Iranian media about the report during a press conference, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said: “For now, I cannot confirm this as it needs more investigation.”

Vahidi’s reservations about the reports came after Mohammad Reza Janantari, the deputy of political and security affairs for the governor of Isfahan, denied the attack had taken place.

“Last night, no security incident occurred in Isfahan,” said Janantari, adding that “the security and military apparatus in Isfahan are always ready to face any threats.”

In the past, Tehran has blamed its arch-foe Israel for such attacks, including a drone attack on a military factory near Isfahan in January. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attacks.

The report comes days after Israeli air strikes in Syria hit Iran-linked targets that killed at least two Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members that served as military advisers in Syria.

In January, a Ministry of Defense industrial center was also targeted by a drone attack, which Iran said was unsuccessful and perpetrated by “mercenaries of the Zionist regime.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Iran was behind nearly all the security threats to Israel.

Speaking at the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Defense Forces General Staff Forum, Netanyahu said: “Iran is responsible for 95% of the security threats against us, including those that you deal with both directly and indirectly.”



Iran Will Never Give Up on its Missile Program, Says President

An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran Will Never Give Up on its Missile Program, Says President

An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran would never give up on its missile program as it needs such deterrence for its security in a region where Iran's arch-foe Israel is able to "drop missiles on Gaza every day".

Iran has for years defied Western calls to limit its missile program.

The United States and its allies have more recently accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.

Both countries have denied the claims.

"If we don’t have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza," Pezeshkian said, referring to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

He reiterated Tehran's official stance, calling on the international community "to first disarm Israel before making the same demands to Iran".

The president also said his country could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington demonstrates "in practice" that it is not hostile to the Islamic Republic.
This came in response to a question during the news conference in Tehran on whether Tehran would be open to direct talks with the US to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.
Former US president Donald Trump reneged on that deal in 2018, arguing it was too generous to Tehran, and restored harsh US sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually violate the agreement's nuclear limits.
"We are not hostile towards the US, they should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice," said Pezeshkian, adding: "We are brothers with the Americans as well."
After taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate a revival of the nuclear pact under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from US, European Union and UN sanctions.
However, Tehran refused to directly negotiate with Washington and worked mainly through European or Arab intermediaries.

On Russia, the Iranian president affirmed that his government had not transferred any weapons to Russia since it took office in August, after Western powers accused Tehran of delivering ballistic missiles to Moscow in September.
The United States and its allies accused Iran last week of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.
Russia and Iran both denied the Western claims.
Asked whether Iran had transferred missiles to Russia, Pezeshkian said: "It is possible that a delivery took place in the past... but I can assure you that since I took office, there has not been any such delivery to Russia."
Reuters reported in February that Iran had provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries.