Iran's Navy unveils its first naval drone-carrier division as Biden visits Middle East

The Iranian Navy unveiled its first naval drone-carrier division in a ceremony in southern Iran on Friday-- a day after US President Joe Biden reiterated his commitment to Israel's security and pledged that he will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Citing the Iranian official, news agency Xinhua reported the naval drone belongs to the Iranian Navy's southern flotilla. The report categorically mentioned that the division consists of units of surface and subsurface vessels which are capable of carrying out different kinds of reconnaissance. Besides, it is also equipped with combat and explosive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Notably, the development came despite the United States and Israel accused the Islamic Republic of using drones and rockets to attack American forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.

Meanwhile, the state-run television said the latest naval drone consists of the latest advanced weapons manufactured by Iran's military and was flown over the Indian Ocean’s waters to demonstrate its capabilities on Friday. "The first drone-carrier division of the Iranian navy consisting of ships and submarine units carrying all types of drone for combat, detection and destruction has been unveiled," Times of Israel quoted state television. "All types of the latest advanced drones produced by the military and the defence ministry have flown over the Indian Ocean’s waters to demonstrate their capabilities," it added.

Meanwhile, reacting to the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration that was signed on the second day of Biden's Middle East trip and Biden's pledge not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon even at the cost of using all elements of its national power, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said he will never back down from the rights of the country's people in the talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal. 

"Iran will continue the path of sustainable development and make honourable efforts to remove the sanctions with strength and logic," Amir-Abdollahian noted.

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Notably, Iran has been facing Western sanctions for its unlawful activities related to uranium. Several countries like the US, Israel and the UAE, on several occasions, raised concerns about the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons-- a claim that Tehran refuted multiple times. Tehran, however, claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes like generating electric power and medical isotopes. In 2015, a deal was signed that gave Tehran a major relief from sanctions. However, in return, Iran pledged not to develop a nuclear weapon. Later, after three years, the then US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal and reimposed waves of biting sanctions on the Islamic republic. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran plans to ramp up its uranium enrichment-- which is a key component in manufacturing nuclear bombs -- insisting that its nuclear program is for "peaceful purposes". 

Image: AP