Iran tests military drones near Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s military tested new attack drones in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz Saturday as part of its ongoing annual drill, state TV reported.

The antigovernment protests that have been ongoing for three months are still going strong. Social media videos showed demonstrations in Tehran’s grand bazaar as well as in several other cities and towns, including the Kurdish region. Authorities cracked down on protests that led to the closure of a portion of Tehran’s bazaar.

State TV reported that the Ababil-5 attack drone was first used in wargames and hit the target with a bomb after travelling 400 km (250 miles). Iran has also tested other military drones in the last decade.

Iran and the United States, along with its allies, have been at odds over military drones. They claim that Tehran supplies Moscow with drones that were used in attacks on West-backed Ukraine.

In November, Iran acknowledged it has supplied Russia with drones, adding that the supply came before Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Iran claims it is determined to end the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz lies at the mouth of Persian Gulf. It is vital to global energy supplies. Around a fifth of all oil trades at sea passes through it.

Commandos and airborne infantry participated in the wargames, dubbed “Zolfaghar-1401,” along with fighter jets, helicopters, military transport aircraft and submarines. Iran’s military will fire missiles and air defense systems as well. Iran holds these drills regularly to increase its defensive power, and test weapons.

Since mid-September, Iran has been shaken by antigovernment protests which were ignited by the death of a woman who was detained by the country’s morality police. The demonstrations rapidly escalated into calls for an end to more than four decades of the country’s clerical rule.

According to Human Rights Activists Iran, a group which has closely followed the unrest, more than 500 protesters were killed and nearly 18,500 people were arrested. The Iranian authorities have not provided any figures on the number of people killed or arrested.