Iran is testing drones in a military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz

On Saturday, Iran tested new drones as part of annual military exercises near the Strait of Hormuz.

State television said that the Ababil-5 attack aircraft was used during the maneuvers for the first time, and succeeded in hitting its target with a bomb after traveling 400 km. Iran has tested many military drones over the past decade.

Military drones have been a point of contention between Iran and the United States and its allies, who claim that Tehran is providing Moscow with drones used in attacks in Western-backed Ukraine.

In November, Iran admitted that it had supplied drones to Russia, adding that this came before Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Iran says it is committed to stopping the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and is crucial to the world’s energy supply, with about a fifth of all oil circulating at sea passing through it.

Dubbed ‘Zolfaghar-1401’, commandos and airborne infantry participated in the exercise along with combat aircraft, helicopters, military transport aircraft and submarines. The Iranian military will launch missiles and air defense systems as well. Iran regularly conducts such exercises to improve its strength. Defensive power and weapons test.

Since mid-September, Iran has been rocked by anti-government protests, sparked by the death of a woman detained by the country’s morality police. The demonstrations quickly escalated into calls for an end to more than four decades of clerical rule in the country.

More than 500 protesters have been killed and more than 18,500 people arrested, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that closely monitored the unrest. The Iranian authorities have not published figures for the dead or captured.