Iran Army Gets 200 New 'Strategic' Drones

Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location (AP)
Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location (AP)
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Iran Army Gets 200 New 'Strategic' Drones

Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location (AP)
Minister of Defense, Commander of the Iranian Army, Commander of the Air Force and Commander of Air Defense during the inauguration of the drones in an unknown location (AP)

Iran's defense ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported on Thursday.

In a ceremony broadcast on television, Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani handed over "more than 200 long-range strategic drones" to army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, the official news agency IRNA said.

Produced by the Iranian defence ministry, the drones are designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, and can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, IRNA said.

The UAVs were received by the Iranian Army as part of a deal with the Defense Ministry to enhance the country’s combat readiness.

In this regard, Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani said that "Iran will continue to enhance its drone capabilities."

"He said that assessment of combat scenes brought the Defense Ministry to the conclusion that drones play a key role in the battles. Therefore, he added, measures to design and manufacture different types of drones for delivery to the Iranian Army were taken in the past years," he noted, IRNA reported.



Russia Says its Troops Reach Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Region

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo
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Russia Says its Troops Reach Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Region

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Russian forces reached Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and continued their advance there.

It also said that Russian troops captured the village of Zoria in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

Moscow, which has the initiative on the battlefield, has repeatedly refused calls by Ukraine, Europe and US President Donald Trump for a full and unconditional ceasefire.

At talks in Istanbul last week it demanded Kyiv pull troops back from the frontline, agree to end all Western arms support and give up on its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance.

Dnipropetrovsk is not among the five Ukrainian regions over which Russia has asserted a formal territorial claim.

It is an important mining and industrial hub for Ukraine and deeper Russian advances into the region could have a serious knock-on effect for Kyiv's struggling military and economy.

Dnipropetrovosk was estimated to have a population of around three million people before Russia launched its offensive. Around one million people lived in the regional capital, Dnipro.