The Iranian military has acquired three bomb-carrying drones capable of flying almost 1,000 miles from an altitude of up to 45,000 feet, Defense Minister Amir Hatami announced Saturday.
The drones are equipped with bombs and missiles, can fly combat missions and could monitor enemy movements “from a considerable distance,” Hatami said on state television, according to Reuters.
Drones are key to Iran’s border surveillance, especially the Gulf waters around the Strait of Hormuz, which a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have run especially high since early January when the US killed top Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad. Iran fired missiles days later at bases in Iraq, where U.S. troops are stationed.