IRAN has produced a high-speed bomber drone with a range of more than 600 miles, described by President Ahmadinejad as a “messenger of death”.
Iran produced a dramatic response yesterday to international concern over its nuclear ambitions. A day after Israel denounced as “unacceptable” the supply of Russian uranium rods for Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, Mr Ahmadinejad personally unveiled a pilotless, jet-powered bomber that Iran says can air-launch guided missiles or deliver two 250lb bombs.
The weapon’s purported range would not stretch to a direct strike on Israel from Iranian territory, but would vastly increase the threat posed to Israeli targets if supplied to Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Lebanon or Syria.
Mr Ahmadinejad seldom wastes a chance to combine showmanship and barely coherent rhetoric, and yesterday was no exception.
“This jet, before it heralds death for enemies, is a messenger of salvation and dignity for humanity,” he told an invited audience on Iran’s annual Defence Industry Day, which is expected to be followed by a week of announcements heralding military and technological progress.
He later made it clear that the new drone was intended to deter attacks on his nation’s nuclear infrastructure. Iran, he said, should “reach a point where we can cut off the aggressor’s arm before he acts, and if we miss, we should destroy him before he hits the target”.
He said the main purpose of the drone, named the Karar (Assailant) was “to prevent any kind of aggression and conflict”. The audience was shown footage of the aircraft in flight.
“This is another sign of Iran’s so-called ‘peaceful’ initiatives,” an Israeli defence official said. “They are making a mockery of the diplomatic options on the table.”
The unveiling came amid intensifying debate in Washington and Israel on whether a pre-emptive military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities may become inevitable – and, if so, when. It was also intended to strike a defiant note in the face of the latest round of United nations sanctions which are the centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s plan for containing Iran without force.
Before Mr Ahmadinejad presented the drone, in a Tehran conference hall, his Defence Minister claimed that Iran’s home-grown defence industry had “reached a point where it does not need any aid from other countries”.
The boast has limited credibility, given growing optimism in Western capitals that sanctions are beginning to bite; in particular, by cutting off the supply of parts needed to repair Iran’s ageing nuclear centrifuges. However, it was clearly intended to signal that Iran wants to be thought of as militarily self-sufficient, despite Russia’s support for sanctions.
Moscow has resisted fresh sanctions until this year, partly because of its lucrative arms trade with Tehran. Under the terms of a $1 billion deal signed in 1995 it is also the exclusive supplier of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr reactor in the south of the country, which is not covered by the sanctions because the International Atomic Energy Authority has so far accepted Tehran’s claim that it is intended for civilian purposes.
As Iran celebrated the insertion of the first fuel rods into the Bushehr reactor on Saturday, Israel said it was “totally unacceptable that a country that so blatantly violates resolutions of the Security Council should enjoy the fruits of using nuclear energy”.
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