Iran launches unmanned bomber, and assurances

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran spoke at the inauguration on August 22 of what the country’s Defense Ministry says is Iran’s first domestically-built, long-range, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of dropping a bomb. Known as the “Karrar” – striker in Farsi, the unmanned aircraft was unveiled at the Malek-e-Ashtar University and is the latest of Iran’s announcements of military and technological developments. State-controlled media of Iran affirm that the Karrar can undertake long-range attacks up to 620 miles carrying a 200-kilogram bomb. Ahmadinejad said Iran may be able to offer a defense mechanism for other countries against what he called "world aggressors."

Even while the Iranian leader refered to the Karrar as an “ambassador of death" to Tehran's enemies, the smiling Ahmadinejad gave assurances that it conveys a "a main message of peace and friendship" but was intended to deter aggression "and keep the enemy paralyzed in his bases." Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders frequently rail against the United States and Israel, the latter of which is referred to as the “Zionist entity.” Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said the Karrar is the latest of Iran’s UAVs, saying "These (Iranian) drones have numerous applications", adding “They not only record and transmit images, but possess operational capabilities as well." He underscored the Karrars “numerous capabilities” and “long operational radius,” but that the “"The jet-propelled unmanned plane can also gain altitude." Independent foreign observers have not yet been able ascertain the exact capabilities of these drones.

Ahmadinejad’s announcement and assurances came one day after Russian and Iranian technicians began loading uranium at the newly inaugurated Bushehr nuclear power plant while inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency stood by to observe the Russian-built power station. While Iran has given multiple assurances that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, it has to answer IAEA concerns about its activities and past attempts to conceal nuclear sites – leading to four rounds of U.N. sanctions. Western intelligence agencies have given varying estimates of when they think Iran could possibly produce a nuclear weapon, with some giving a timeline of about a year.

On August 20, Iran test-fired a new surface-to-surface liquid-fueled missile called Qiam-1 (Uprising) that, according to Vahidi, has an improved targeting system to strike with higher precision. There are fears in the West that this is a significant advance in Iran's missile arsenal, which already can target Israel and other parts of the region. Earlier this month, the Iranian military launched four new Iranian-built submarines.

Iran would stop higher-grade enrichment of uranium to military potential if it is assured of nuclear fuel supplies for a research reactor, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. His comments appeared to signal possible willingness to compromise on a key concern for the West regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Fears in the West that Iran seeks to develop nuclear weapons were piqued in February 2010 when it started enriching uranium to a level of 20 per cent from around 3.5 per cent – thereby taking it closer to weapons-grade levels. Iran says it works for peaceful purposes and the Islamic Republic was forced to enrich to higher levels after U.N.-backed talks for a fuel swap deal with the United States, Russia and France stalled in 2009. The U.N. Security Council passed a fourth sanctions resolution against Tehran in June, while Washington and Brussels added tougher economic sanctions.

Like previous sanctions, the U.N. called for a halt of Iran's entire enrichment program. Ahmadinejad has said talks could resume in September of this year, while the nation’s supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei said on August 18 that Iran would not talk with the United States unless sanctions and military threats were lifted. Ahmadinejad said on August 20 that Iran could stop at 20 per cent enrichment as part of a deal for a steady supply of nuclear fuel. Even so, Iranian authorities have argued the Islamic Republic will persevere, despite sanctions, while they point to such achievements as the opening of the Bushehr reactor and the recent military advances.