Tehran: European countries seek to purchase Iranian drones

According to the Iranian Defence Ministry, Western purchasers prefer anonymity.

According to a defence ministry spokesman who spoke to state media, several European nations have requested to buy drones from Iran under cover of anonymity. Iran unveiled its most recent domestically built attack drone earlier this week.

According to Brigadier General Reza Talaee Nik, Tehran is receiving a lot of inquiries from prospective clients, Tasnim News reported on Saturday. According to the general, Iran is eager to export its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but only after considering “political and security considerations” for each buyer and making sure the aircraft won’t be used improperly.

Nik did not mention any specific purchasers but did mention that a number of Western and European nations are among the potential bidders.

The Iranian Defence Industry debuted its most recent Mohajer-10 UAV at an expo in Tehran on Tuesday, marking a significant advancement in Iran’s drone programme in recent years.

The Mohajer-10, according to Iranian media, can fly at a height of seven kilometres, or just over four miles, for a full 24 hours. The UAV’s weapons payload is three times as large as Iran’s previous drone of a comparable design, the Mohajer-6, at 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds). According to sources, the new drone has a 2,000 km operational range.

Any decision by European countries to buy drones built in Iran would probably anger Washington, which has heavily sanctioned Tehran’s UAV sector. According to a press release from the US Treasury Department in March, the US has placed economic sanctions on Iranian companies accused of covertly obtaining drone parts, including “European-origin engines,” in addition to punishing manufacturers.

The Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series ‘kamikaze’ drones are allegedly being supplied to Russia by Iran, according to the US. Although Russian troops have employed apparent copies of the Shahed drones to attack Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets since late last year, both Tehran and Moscow have refuted the charges.