Unveiling of New 'Suicide Drone' by the Revolutionary Guard at Iran's Armed Forces Parade

Despite Western criticism and sanctions against Iran for selling military weapons to Russia, the Islamic Republic showcased a number of drones and missiles at the Armed Forces parade, claiming they are the latest weapons produced by the Revolutionary Guard. Iranian state media have claimed that the 'Shahed 136B' drone is the 'latest suicide drone of the Guard' and the 'Jihad' missile is the 'newest ballistic missile of the Aerospace Force of the Guard.' Both were displayed for the first time at the parade on Saturday, September 31. The Tasnim news agency reported that the 'Jihad' missile belongs to the 'Fateh' missile family, known as the 'most accurate family of Iranian missiles.' However, the range of this new missile has not been disclosed. Media in Iran, especially those close to the Revolutionary Guard, have conducted extensive propaganda regarding the missiles showcased at this event, which is held in a week referred to as 'Sacred Defense' in the Islamic Republic's terminology. According to these reports, '21 ballistic missiles' were displayed at the parade, including '2 Khyber Shekan missiles, 2 Fattah missiles, 4 Haj Qasem missiles, 2 Qadr H missiles, 2 Emad missiles, 3 Khorramshahr missiles, 4 Sajil missiles, and 2 Jihad missiles.' Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, who attended the event alongside senior military commanders of the army and the Guard, praised military advancements and what he called Iran's 'deterrent power' in a speech. Despite Iran's denial, officials from the U.S. and three European countries recently confirmed the shipment of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia and announced punitive sanctions against Tehran. The sale of Iranian drones to Russia has previously sparked controversy, and recently, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia has launched 8,060 Iranian drones towards its country. Bloomberg and The Guardian also recently reported that Washington and London are concerned that Russia may have provided Tehran with 'nuclear knowledge' in exchange for receiving weapons such as drones, which could bring Tehran closer to the capability of developing nuclear weapons. Western officials familiar with the matter say that cooperation between the Kremlin and Iran regarding the Islamic Republic's ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons has increased in recent months.