Iranian drones show Iran's growing influence beyond the MENA: The Post
The Iranian Shahed-136 UAV poses threat to US and allies in Europe as they prove Iran's high competence, according to a report by The Washington Post.
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Iranian Shahed-136 UAV (Social Media)
A report by US media outlet The Washington Post claimed that the alleged usage of Iranian drones by Russia in the Ukraine war poses an increasing threat to the United States and its allies as they consider it to be a show of a growing Iranian influence beyond its physical reach.
The purported Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles' (UAV) success, The Post said, has made of Iran a crucial military ally for Russia, adding that it has also shown how Tehran has developed one of the most competent drone fleets internationally despite years of Western sanctions.
An associate professor of war studies at the University of Southern Denmark, James Roger, told The Washington Post that "drones have become the spearhead of Iranian power projection globally," explaining that "Iran has one of the oldest and, arguably, one of the most efficient drone programs in the world."
Read more: Iran FM calls for Joint investigation with Kiev on drones claims
'Russia-Iran drone axis' a power to be reckoned with: Israeli media
In parallel to The Post's report, an Israeli West Asia affairs analyst Seth Frantzman wrote in The Jerusalem Post that Russia is increasingly using Iranian drones in Ukraine, which is a threat that "must be taken seriously" in the international arena, not only in the countries' respective regions.
According to Frantzman, Iran has been exporting either pieces or blueprints of drones to its regional allies, such as Ansar Allah in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in occupied Palestine. What is notable, however, is that the UAVs are now much more sophisticated than they used to be, with longer ranges and higher precision.
The main point of concern for the Israeli analyst is the fact that Iran is growing to be a lot bigger than its own sphere of influence within West Asia, extending to Europe, namely Russia.
Russia's usage of loitering munition drones developed by Iran against Ukraine is showing the might of the Iranian UAV capabilities.
Reportedly, Russia is chiefly using the Shahed-136/Geran-2 type kamikaze drone against Ukraine, with many reports surfacing about the matter in recent days. According to Frantzman, for all anyone knows, Russia could have ordered thousands of the drones, or could even be manufacturing them locally.
Read more: Zelensky's office chief: Russia is the European Hezbollah
