 |
| Iran Develops Arash-2 Drone to Attack Tel Aviv and Haifa Israel (pict of illustration) |
Taheran - Iran is developing an advanced long-range suicide drone designed to attack Israel's Tel Aviv and Haifa. The report was revealed by the semi-official Mehr News agency on Monday (12/9/2022) citing the head of Iran's ground forces. Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari said the drone, dubbed the Arash-2, was the latest version of the Arash-1.
Tensions are rising between Iran and Israel as the Zionist regime escalates attacks on Tehran's targets in Syria. Israel also strongly opposes the revival of the Iran nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, the United States last week announced new sanctions on one Iranian company for being involved with sending drones to Russia as well as three Iranian companies working on drone production for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its air force and navy.
Tehran-based Safiran Airport Services (Safiran) is accused of coordinating Russian military flights between Iran and Russia, including those relating to the transport of Iranian drones, personnel and related equipment from Iran to Russia. "Information also indicates that after assembly and testing, the Russian Aerospace Forces intend to deploy Iranian UAVs alongside Russian UAVs in their fight against Ukraine," the US Treasury said.
US Undersecretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said Washington was committed to enforcing sanctions on Russia and Iran and holding those who supported Russia's war in Ukraine accountable. "Russia is making an increasingly desperate choice to continue its unwarranted war against Ukraine, especially in the face of our unprecedented sanctions and export controls," he said.
Nelson warned the Biden administration would not hesitate to target other manufacturers and suppliers helping Iran's drone program. "Non-Iranian, non-Russian entities should also be very careful to avoid supporting Iran's development of UAVs or their transfer, or sale of any military equipment to Russia for use against Ukraine," he said.
The other three companies are the Paravar Pars Company, which the US says is closely linked to the IRGC-controlled Imam Hossein University, Aircraft Engine Design and Manufacturing (DAMA), and the Baharestan Kish Company. "In the past, the ASF IRGC distributed US and Israeli-made UAVs to the Paravar Pars Company, which were ultimately used to reverse engineer and reproduce domestically made UAV models," the US Treasury said.
DAMA is involved in the research, development and production of Iran's Shahed-171 UAV program, which is owned by the IRGC Air Force, according to the US Treasury. The US Treasury has accused DAMA of being a leading company used for “secret procurement activities” for the Iranian Aircraft Manufacturing Industry (HESA), which is affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces (MODAFL).
The Baharestan Kish Company and its managing director, Rehmatollah Heidari, were appointed to oversee various defense-related projects, including the manufacture of Iranian drones.