Iranian official says Tehran plans to establish new drone bases: Reports
Analyst Ryan Bohl told Breaking Defense it appeared the Iranian general’s comments reflect that Iran is “doing something to secure itself even in the face of a more aggressive Israel and US … .”
Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the Shahed-136, are pictured during a military rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, on January 10, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
BEIRUT — The Iranian military plans to establish new drone bases in the country, a military official reportedly said, in comments that come as the US and Iran meet over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The semi-official Iranian press agency Tasnim reported today that the commander of Iran’s Army Ground Force, Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heidari, revealed the plans to set up the new unmanned-focused facilities, including in border regions.
“With God’s help, the Army Ground Force is now contributing to the Ministry of Defense in the development and production of drones, becoming an integral part of the country’s armed forces,” another Iranian semi-official press agency, Mehr news, quoted Heideri saying.
He highlighted Iran’s UAV production, saying “thanks to our domestic production capabilities, we are currently manufacturing UAVs that meet the diverse operational needs of the Ground Force.”
The comments come as US and Iranian officials meet in Oman to discuss a potential deal over Iran’s nuclear program in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb the Islamic Republic if no agreement can be reached.
Analyst Ryan Bohl said it appeared the general’s comments reflect that Iran is “doing something to secure itself even in the face of a more aggressive Israel and US, and developing near-abroad capabilities to continue to influence neighbors without necessarily putting IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] or others on the ground.”
Bohl, a senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at the RANE network, said Iran’s army has for years been forced to innovate within tight budgets and drones have emerged as “one of the more viable ways” for it to follow the IRGC’s “larger and more developed drone arm.”
Sina Azodi, adjunct professor at George Washington University and a defense expert, added that Iran’s expanded deployment “has to do with symbolism of making Iran as one of the few countries with extensive capacity to have a fleet of drones.”
Iran’s domestic production of drones made headlines in the months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after Russian forces were shown to have been using Iranian-made platforms extensively in that fight. Iran also used attack drones in two largely failed attacks against Israel in 2024.
The Iranian news reports did not say exactly what kind of drones would be deployed around the country or what their mission would be, but Azodi surmised that they could “complement the ballistic missiles program in terms of their offensive capabilities” and could be used along the border to aid in anti-smuggling operations.
Bohl said the new bases could allow Iran to position itself “for possible retaliation against near-abroad targets in the GCC [Gulf Cooperative Council], Iraq, Azerbaijan, and the Persian Gulf itself. This is one of the faster, cheaper ways for Iran to build a conventional deterrent, though it remains outclassed by the US and Israel overall.”
Iran’s media also didn’t specify the location of bases to be founded on Iran’s borders, but Azodi expected them to end up on each of the western, eastern and southern borders.
“Each has a significance: west to have quick access to Iraq and Israel, south to expand its power in the Persian Gulf and strait of Hormuz, east [near] Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he told Breaking Defense.
