Iran's state media has reported the existence of an underground drone base that made the country “a drone superpower in the region”.
Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, visited the secret base on Saturday, the official Irna news agency said.
Photos accompanying the report showed Maj Gen Baqheri and army commander Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi inspecting drones in a long tunnel.
During his visit, Maj Gen Baqheri was briefed on the army’s latest capabilities in manufacturing drones including combat-ready and long-range vehicles, Irna said.
“By setting up such a secret base designed and constructed hundreds of metres deep in the ground, the Islamic Republic has turned into the drone superpower in the region,” the report said.
Iran's state TV said 100 drones were being kept in the heart of the Zagros Mountains, including the Ababil-5, which it said were fitted with Qaem-9 missiles, an Iranian-made version of air-to-surface US Hellfire.
“No doubt the drones of Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces are the region's most powerful,” Maj Gen Mousavi said. “Our capability to upgrade drones is unstoppable.”
The state TV correspondent said he was taken blindfolded to the drone base in a 45-minute helicopter flight from Kermanshah in western Iran.
Iran has longed claimed to have underground missile bases across the country and along its coast.
The report of its drone base comes amid heightened tension in the Gulf region following Iran's taking of two Greek-flagged tankers on Friday.
Iran said its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy seized the tankers for “violations in Gulf waters”. The action followed its threat earlier in the day to take “punitive action” following a US confiscation of an Iranian oil tanker in Greek waters.
Iran is said to be supplying drones to its regional proxies including Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and paramilitaries in Iraq.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz last November revealed the existence of Iranian drone bases that he said were being used to launch attacks at sea.
One is near the port of Chabahar in Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province and the other on Qeshm Island, just off the coast of the Iranian mainland, he said.
Mr Gantz had said earlier that Iran also had a drone base in Kashan, north of the city of Isfahan, that was used to train Iranian proxies.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Match info
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Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Silent Hill f
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Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km