Drone over N. Israel: Iranian with 'stolen' US apps, reversed engineering of Downed US ScanEagle.

Drone over N. Israel: Iranian with Donated 'stolen'  US apps, reversed engineering of Downed US ScanEagle.  (Debka).

The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that flew on July 17 over northern Israel was a “Yasir” drone made in Iran that was launched from a Hezbollah base in Syria’s Qalamoun Mountains, some 60km from central Golan. This is reported by DEBKAfile military and intelligence sources.

The Yasir can reach an altitude of 5,000 feet, operate in a 200km radius and stay aloft for 8 hours, as reported by Tabnak and translated by IFP.

The Israeli website says there is no information as to whether it was launched by an Iranian or a Hezbollah team.

This UAV displayed exceptional maneuverability, unlike most drones, since it is believed to the advanced US electronic systems installed by reverse engineering of the American US ScanEagle drone that was downed intact over Iran on Dec. 17, 2012.

The Israeli website’s military and intelligence sources say this fundamental upgrade was carried out under the instruction of Chinese cyber warfare specialists.

The IDF, the Israeli air force and other western armies, including the US Air Force, are anxiously trying to find out how many replicas of the purloined US ScanEagle the Iranians have been able to manufacture.

On October 2013, when Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, the Russian Air Force Commander, visited Tehran, the Iranians made him a gift of a drone into which the sophisticated US electronic systems were implanted. Read the full story here.

Video - Drone footage shows devastated Damascus neighborhood

Iranian Journalist: Proponents Of The Deal With Iran Rely On A Fatwa By Khamenei Nobody Has Ever Seen

Iranian Journalist: Proponents Of The Deal With Iran Rely On A Fatwa By Khamenei Nobody Has Ever Seen. (Memri).

Amir Taheri, a Paris-based Iranian author and journalist, argued in a similar vein that American proponents of the deal with Iran base their position on groundless assumptions, including on the claim that Khamenei issued a fatwa banning nuclear weapons – a fatwa that nobody has ever seen.

The following are excerpts from a translation of his article published in the English edition of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat:[3]

"Campaigning for a deal on the Iranian nuclear issue, the pro-mullah lobby in the West, especially in the United States, often cites three claims in support of President Barack Obama's appeasement of Tehran. The first is that a deal will help the 'reformist' wing of the regime led by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani—which already controls the presidency through Hassan Rouhani—to capture other levers of power and embark on a genuine program of change aimed at returning Iran to normality. Rafsanjani is cast as a moderate, a turbaned version of Deng Xiaoping, capable of closing the chapter of the revolution and forging business-like relations with the US.

Much is made of Rafsanjani's recent statements that he has always favored collective leadership and that once the Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei is shown the door, he would press for a collegial system and the end of 'one-man rule' in Iran.

"The first step in that direction was supposed to come last Monday when Rafsanjani sought to get himself elected president of the Assembly of Experts... Capturing [it] was supposed to be the first step in a victorious march that would enable the Rafsanjani faction to win control of the Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majlis, the 290-member ersatz parliament.

However the Assembly of Experts elected Ayatollah Muhammad Yazdi—one of Rafsanjani's oldest foes and a close associate of Khamenei—as its new president with 47 votes to 24.

The Rafsanjani faction's hopes of winning control of the parliament next year are unlikely to prove any better. Several polls show that even if the faction manages to mobilize all those who voted for Rouhani—33 percent of those eligible to vote—it still would not be enough to secure a majority of the 230 seats on offer.

"The second claim, paradoxically, is built on a fatwa supposedly issued by Khamenei forbidding the use of nuclear weapons.

Thus, while Obama hopes that Rafsanjani will eventually evict Khamenei, he is basing his policy on a fatwa issued by the latter. Since no one, and certainly not Obama, has seen the fatwa in question it is hard to assess its political importance. However in real terms the fatwa, supposing it does exist, is nothing more than an opinion and is thus devoid of legal authority.

"The third claim is that the nuclear project is popular with the Iranian people and that by accepting a nuclear Iran the US would gain popularity there. However, ultimately there is no evidence to back that claim.

The issue has never been properly discussed in any public forum, not even in the Majlis. In fact, successive governments, including under the Shah, have suppressed a number of reports warning against the dangers of a nuclear project, especially with reference to the threat that earthquakes pose to nuclear installations on almost all parts of the Iranian Plateau...


"Obama's hope is that by making a deal he will enable Rafsanjani's 'moderate' faction to win the power struggle in Tehran and initiate a change of behavior by the Khomeinist regime.  That, many agree, is nothing but an illusion.

In his address to the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also seemed to share this sentiment. As Aristotle observed 25 centuries ago, character is action. In other words: You are what you do! 

A regime's nature dictates its behavior. As Sa'adi Shirazi—the famous poet of Shiraz—noted almost eight centuries ago, a scorpion does not sting because it wants to be a bad boy; it does so in accordance with its nature." Hmmm.....By the way, If there were an invisible Fatwa, there would be no need for hidden facilities.

Related:   Don’t Misunderstand Khamenei’s Nuclear Fatwa.

"Israel's Staunchest Ally" Pres Obama would bypass Congress on Iran deal.

"Israel's Staunchest Ally" Pres Obama would bypass Congress on Iran deal.(NYT).

Obama would bypass Congress on Iran deal . . . No one knows if the Obama administration will manage in the next five weeks to strike what many in the White House consider the most important foreign policy deal of his presidency: an accord with Iran that would forestall its ability to make a nuclear weapon. 

But the White House has made one significant decision: If agreement is reached, President Obama will do everything in his power to avoid letting Congress vote on it.

Even while negotiators argue over the number of centrifuges Iran would be allowed to spin and where inspectors could roam, the Iranians have signaled that they would accept, at least temporarily, a “suspension” of the stringent sanctions . . . The Treasury Department, in a detailed study it declined to make public, has concluded Mr. Obama has the authority to suspend the vast majority of those sanctions without seeking a vote by Congress, officials say.

“We wouldn’t seek congressional legislation in any comprehensive agreement for years,” one senior official said. New York Times

But Mr. Obama cannot permanently terminate those sanctions. Only Congress can take that step. And even if Democrats held on to the Senate next month, Mr. Obama’s advisers have concluded they would probably lose such a vote.

White House officials say Congress should not be surprised by this plan. They point to testimony earlier this year when top negotiators argued that the best way to assure that Iran complies with its obligations is a step-by-step suspension of sanctions — with the implicit understanding that the president could turn them back on as fast as he turned them off.

“We have been clear that initially there would be suspension of any of the U.S. and international sanctions regime, and that the lifting of sanctions will only come when the I.A.E.A. verifies that Iran has met serious and substantive benchmarks,” Bernadette Meehan, the spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said Friday, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency. “We must be confident that Iran’s compliance is real and sustainable over a period of time.” Read the full story here.

Iran Admits Testing Nuclear 'Bridge Wires' at Exploded Parchin plant

Iran Admits Testing Nuclear 'Bridge Wires' at Exploded Parchin plant. (INN). HT: IsraelMatzav.

Reports quote Iran as saying it tested devices to detonate nuclear reaction at secret facility that blew up this week.

In the wake of the reported massive explosion at Iran’s secret nuclear facility at Parchin on Sunday, it was reported by USAToday that Iran has admitted it had “tested ‘exploding bridge wires’” at Parchin, and “not neutron initiators.”

Just last Friday, Arutz Sheva published an article explaining how the IAEA in November 2011 reported that it had received “highly credible” information that Iran had tested “neutron initiators" at the site, and that Iran had told it that it had exploding bridge wire technology.

The same November 2011 IAEA report also reported that Iran had tested exploding bridge wires. Exploding bridge wires act to simultaneously trigger the conventional explosives components of a nuclear bomb, so as to create the right condition for the nuclear core to fully detonate in a nuclear reaction.

In specific, the IAEA November 2011 Annex stated that "among the alleged studies documentation are a number of documents relating to the development by Iran, during the period 2002–2003, of fast functioning detonators, known as 'exploding bridgewire detonators' or 'EBWs.'"

It added that in 2008, Iran told the IAEA that "before the period 2002–2004, it had already achieved EBW technology. Iran also provided the Agency with a short undated document in Farsi, understood to be the specifications for a detonator development program, and a document from a foreign source showing an example of a civilian application in which detonators are fired simultaneously. However, Iran has not explained to the Agency its own need or application for such detonators."

"Given their [EBWs’] possible application in a nuclear explosive device, and the fact that there are limited civilian and conventional military applications for such technology, Iran’s development of such detonators and equipment is a matter of concern," warned the IAEA document.

As recently as September 5, the IAEA reiterated that Iran is still trying to explain its civilian, non-nuclear-weapon, "need" for explosive bridge wires

Such an implosion bomb was estimated by A.Q. Khan, father of the Pakistani nuclear-bomb, to be able to achieve a 20-21 kiloton yield equivalent to the plutonium implosion bomb code-named “Fat Man” that was dropped on Nagasaki August 9, 1945, and killed an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people outright. Hmmm.....Nuclear Fatwa my A*@$%. Read the full story here.

Satellite images: Obvious Damage at the Military Research Complex at Parchin.

Satellite images: Obvious Damage at the Military Research Complex at Parchin. (IsraelDefence).


24 hours after the reports from Iran regarding a mysterious explosion at the military compound in Parchin, evidence has been received that refutes the denials of the Iranian government.

Satellite images of the Parchin area, to the east of Tehran, prove: the explosion reported by the Iranian media had, indeed, occurred inside the military compound in Parchin, where, according to western intelligence agencies, trials are being conducted on nuclear missile fuzes. 

Satellite images obtained by Israel Defense and analyzed by specialist Ronen Solomon clearly show damage consistent with an attack against bunkers in a central locality within the military research complex at the Parchin military compound.

The locality in question is situated at the center of the compound, adjacent to another installation where, according to intelligence sources, the trials being conducted involve controlled detonation of fuzes intended to serve as triggers for nuclear devices. The locality consists of a sizable testing center and what appears to be an area with bunker-shaped structures. "Before and after" images indicate that a complete section of structures was simply eliminated by an unexplained explosion. The explosion wiped several testing units off the face of the earth while inflicting collateral damage on adjacent buildings, with traces of fire clearly visible in a section located in a sparsely afforested area. Hmmm.....I can hear already Iran says it was a BBQ that got out of hand....Nothing to see, move along. Read and see the full story here.

Iran defends refusal to let in U.N. nuclear expert

Iran defends refusal to let in U.N. nuclear expert. (Taz).

Iran has dismissed criticism by the International Atomic Energy Agency of its refusal earlier this year to let one IAEA expert into the country as part of a team investigating allegations of nuclear weapons research, Reuters reported Oct. 8.

Tehran said it had a sovereign right to decide who to admit onto its territory. 

But its failure to issue a visa to an IAEA official, who diplomatic sources said was probably a Western atomic bomb expert, may deepen longstanding Western suspicions that it is stonewalling the U.N. agency's inquiry.

The IAEA said last month that Iran had not issued a visa for one member of a team that visited Tehran on Aug. 31 to try to advance the investigation into what the U.N. agency calls the possible military dimensions of the country's nuclear program.

It was the third time the person, whom the U.N. agency did not identify, had been unable to obtain an entry permit. It was unclear whether this official had received one to join an IAEA delegation holding talks in the Iranian capital this week.

It is important, the IAEA said in a Sept. 5 report on Iran's nuclear program, that "any staff member identified by the agency with the requisite expertise is able to participate in the agency's technical activities".

But, in a statement distributed to IAEA member states this week, Iran said that granting visas was "our sovereign national right and we will issue it when we deem it appropriate".

The IAEA has for years been trying to get to the bottom of allegations that Iran has worked on designing a nuclear bomb.

Iran says its nuclear activity is a peaceful, but suspicions in the West that the civil nuclear program is a front for weapons development have led to punishing economic sanctions, which Tehran hopes will be lifted if ongoing negotiations with world powers succeed in ending the standoff.

IAEA member states have the right to deny access to individual inspectors proposed by the U.N. agency, and Iran has for several years blocked staff from some Western nations, including the United States, to check its nuclear sites.

A separate, high-level IAEA team in charge of the Iran inquiry - which at least on some occasions has included officials from France, the United States and Britain - has held several meetings in Tehran since early 2012, including one this week.

Iran said it had provided visas on time to three new members of the IAEA team in recent months.

NUCLEAR "AMBIGUITIES"

Western officials say Iran needs to cooperate with the IAEA inquiry if it wants to reach a breakthrough diplomatic settlement with world powers.

Last month's IAEA report said Iran had failed to answer questions about possible military dimensions of its nuclear program by an agreed Aug. 25 deadline, in a possible setback for the farther-reaching diplomacy between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia.

Iran rejects the accusations as baseless. But it has promised, since relative pragmatist Hassan Rouhani was elected president last year on a platform to end its international isolation, to work with the IAEA to clear up the suspicions.

"We continue to cooperate with the IAEA on some of the ambiguities in order to clarify and resolve them," said the Iranian communique to IAEA member countries, which was dated Sept. 19 but only posted on the IAEA's website this week.

While the powers seek to limit the size of Iran's future nuclear program - and thereby extend the time it would need for any attempt to accumulate fissile material for a weapon - the IAEA is investigating purported research and experiments in the past that could be applied to making the bomb itself.

Underlining its determination to press ahead with efforts to modernize its nuclear capacity - an area of concern for the United States and its allies, the Iranian statement said it installed a new, advanced centrifuge, the IR-8, last year in a research and development facility at its Natanz enrichment plant. 

Centrifuges refine uranium, a nuclear fuel which can have both civilian and military applications.

It said the IR-8 was a "complete new centrifuge" and criticized the IAEA for calling it a "casing" in its reports. If Iran were to successfully replace its current, breakdown-prone IR-1 model, it could amass potential bomb material much faster.

Iran, P5+1 agree on principle issues- Rouhani

Iran, P5+1 agree on principle issues- Rouhani. (Taz).

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says there is consensus between the country and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) on principle issues.

Speaking at a gathering of cabinet members and parliamentarians at Iran’s Parliament, Rouhani said the two sides’ difference lied only in details, the country’s Press TV reported Oct. 8.

“There is no difference between the two sides over whether a power plant should be constructed in Arak, or whether Iran should possess enrichment technology, or about the Fordow center and the continuation of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, or whether alleged military issues should be resolved; and there is difference only about details and the quantity of matters,” Rouhani said.

“Today, no one says Iran should be eliminated from equations and developments, and everybody admits that Iran is not omissible. All countries have said that Iran should play its role in fighting terrorism and there is no doubt about this,” the Iranian president added.

Iran and the P5+1 held their latest round of talks in New York on September 18-26 to work out a final agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program before a November 24 deadline.

Last November, Iran and the P5+1 clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later. However, the two sides agreed to extend their talks until November 24 as they remained divided on a number of key issues.

Iran - Massive blast reported at suspected Parchin nuke facility.

Iran - Massive blast reported at suspected Parchin nuke facility.(TOI).

Explosion shatters windows kilometers away from secretive Parchin site, believed to be part of Iran’s nuclear program.

A massive explosion on Sunday night reportedly ripped through Iran’s secretive Parchin facility, suspected to be part of the country’s controversial nuclear weapons program.

The BBC, citing a report from the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported on Monday that the incident happened in an “explosive materials production unit” at the site that is south-east of the capital Tehran.

According to ISNA the blast was so powerful it shattered windows up to 12 kilometers away and the glare from the explosion lit up the night sky.

Iran’s defense industries organisation reportedly said in a statement that two workers at the site lost their lives.

Parchin is known to be an explosive production facility but is also suspected as being a key element in Iran’s nuclear weapon development program.

The International Atomic Energy Authority has not been given access to the site since 2005 and experts believe the Iranians may be developing specialized explosives used to trigger nuclear weapons.

Four-fifths of U.S. House Members tell Obama 'admin' be harder on Iran.

Four-fifths of U.S. House Members tell Obama 'admin' be harder on Iran. HT: IMRA.

SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 3 Oct.’14:”U.D.House members press Kerry on nuclear talks with Iran”, By Patricia Zengerle, Reuters .

SUBJECT:US House of Representatives members say be harder on Iran.

QUOTE: Four-fifths of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry - - - to lean harder on Iran”

FULL TEXT:

Three hundred and fifty-four members - four-fifths - of the U.S. House of Representatives signed the letter sent to Secretary of State John Kerry. Hundreds of U.S. lawmakers pressed Secretary of State John Kerry to lean harder on Iran in talks over its nuclear program in a letter released on Thursday[2 Oct.] after Israel warned Washington not to go easy on Tehran.

Three hundred and fifty-four members - four-fifths - of the U.S. House of Representatives signed the letter sent to Kerry on Wednesday night, expressing concerns that an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program might not require sufficiently strict inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Sept. 5 that Iran had failed to address concerns about suspected atomic bomb research by an agreed deadline.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Barack Obama on Wednesday[1 Oct.] that he must make sure any final nuclear deal with Iran does not leave it at the “threshold” of being able to develop nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu has been attempting to shift the global spotlight away from Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria and back to Iran, warning that a nuclear-armed Tehran would pose a far greater threat than the militant Islamists.

On Thursday[2 Oct.] Netanyahu voiced doubts that his talks with Obama would lead to a tougher U.S. line.

“Both of us want to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I say that is not enough. You want to prevent it from (being able to) develop a nuclear weapon in a short term, of weeks or months. What is called breakout time,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 10 television.

Asked whether he was “encouraged” about the issue of preventing Iran from achieving break-out capability after meeting Obama, Netanyahu answered: “I cannot say that. I can only say that I expressed the things important to Israel and Israel’s security.”

Although Israel backs Obama’s efforts to forge a coalition to confront Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters, some Israelis fear world powers could go easy on Shi’ite Muslim Iran’s nuclear program so it will help in the fight against the Sunni Islamists.

Iran and six world powers are expected to meet again for nuclear talks in Europe in the next two weeks, Iranian and Western officials said.

Iranian leader Khamenei: "ISIL Created by West to Split Muslims" - "Gaza in the hands of Blood soaking Zionist Wolves oppressors"

Iranian leader Khamenei: "ISIL Created by West to Split Muslims". (Fars).

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei slammed the West, specially the US, for creating the Takfiri terrorists, and said that the main objective of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is to create differences among Muslim sects.

"The Takfiri groups are spreading atrocities in the West Asian region in a bid to sow discord among Muslims," the Supreme Leader said in a message to the Hajj pilgrims on Friday.

He noted that the enemy is pursuing to provide the Zionist regime with safety through igniting war among Muslims.

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that unity among Muslims, the issue of Palestine and making a clear-cut distinction between the notion of pure Islam of the Prophet Mohammad and the American-style Islam are among the most important issues facing the present Muslim world.

"However, now that in the light of the Islamic Awakening, Muslim nations have correctly found out about the animosity of the Arrogant and Zionist front and have taken stances against it, policies that aim to divide Muslims are being pursued with more fervor," the Supreme Leader stated.

He underlined that the deceitful enemy is bent on fanning the flame of civil wars among Muslims in order to deviate motivations for resistance and struggle among them and create a safe margin for the Zionist regime and other agents of global arrogance that are true enemies.

"Launching Takfiri terrorist groups and the likes of them in countries located in West Asia region is a consequence of this treacherous policy," Ayatollah Khamenei added.

In July, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah called on Muslims across the world to set aside their differences, and use all their means to help the Palestinian people.

Addressing hundreds of officials and people from various walks of life as well as ambassadors and charge d'affairs of Muslim countries on the occasion of the auspicious Eid-al-Fitr (Fast breaking feast) in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said Muslim governments should set aside political and non-political differences to help the oppressed in Gaza.

"Setting aside differences, the world of Islam should use all its potential to meet needs of the people of Gaza and while countering impudent crimes of Zionists, Muslim world should voice hatred and disavow of Zionist allies, especially the US and the UK," he said.

The Supreme Leader invited Muslim countriesˈ officials to set aside such motivations and opt for the establishment of a united, powerful and capable Ummah.

"If power mongering, dependences and corruptions fail to divide the world of Islam, no arrogant power would dare to invade and make aggression on Muslim countries or seek ransom from them," he said.

Stressing that the Zionistsˈ impudence in massacring people in Gaza is the result of rift in the world of Islam, Ayatollah Khamenei said secret censorship in the west does not allow western nations to be informed of the depth of Gaza events. "The crimes are so heinous and heart rending that reflection of even part of it by the western media has shocked non-Muslim nations and brought them to streets."

"Our clear message to Muslim governments is to rise up to assist the oppressed people and show that the world of Islam will not keep silent in face of tyranny and injustice. To meet the goal, Muslim governments should ignore political and non-political differences and get united in rushing aid to the oppressed who are in clutches of the blood soaking Zionist wolves," he underlined.

The Supreme Leader said open support of the arrogant powers, including the US and the UK, and the explicit or implicit confirmation of Zionistsˈcrimes by the international communities, including the UN, is complicity in the crimes of the blood soaking regime.

New Home-Made Heavy Tactical Vehicle, Rocket Launcher Unveiled in Iran

Looks a bit like S-300... only smaller S-30,5

New Home-Made Heavy Tactical Vehicle, Rocket Launcher Unveiled in Iran. (Fars).

Iran's defense industries organization on Thursday unveiled a home-made rocket launching system and a tactical heavy vehicle in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan.

Addressing the ceremony, Dehqan said the new launcher system is used to fire Falaq rockets and is a useful weapon for ground battles.

Falaq rocket launcher which is capable of opening heavy fire on the targets enjoys high maneuverability. It can also be stationed rapidly and has good mobility for difficult terrains, the minister explained.

When equipped with Falaq 1 and 2 rockets, the new launcher can hit targets within a range of 10 kilometers, he added.

Thanks to the high destructive power of the Falaq rocket’s warhead, the proper area that its shrapnel covers and the tactical features of the launcher, the Iranian forces will have the power to fight ground battles proportionate to the threats, Dehqan explained.

In a relevant development on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps unveiled a home-made high-explosive mine and test-fired an anti-cruise missile in a ceremony attended by IRGC Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour.

Among the weapons test-fired on Sunday was a rotating three-cylinder cannon, 'Asefeh', which was unveiled a few months ago and can be used to target and destroy incoming cruise missiles and hostile flying objects in low altitudes.

Another system which was unveiled and test-fired was 'Ramait' high-explosive roadside mine which can destroy an armored column within a radius of 100-150 meters with high precision.

Also a solo weapon, 'Fateh', was the third system unveiled this afternoon. Fateh is an Iran-made sniper rifle that fires 5.56mm bullets.

"Ramait roadside mine which enjoys good capabilities will be mass-produced tomorrow," Pakpour told FNA. He added that other systems tested today are also ready for mass-production.

Full photo gallery here:

Video - Iranian Analyst Mohammad Sadeq Al-Hosseini: Saudi Arabia Is on the Verge of Extinction; We Are the New Sultans of the Mediterranean, the Gulf, and the Red Sea

Iran is manufacturing it's 'manpad Drone'

Note: Add duct tape to list of forbidden products

Iran is manufacturing it's 'manpad Drone'. (Taz).

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force is finalizing manufacture of a new homemade drone armed with the RPG (rocket-propelled grenade).

Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said that the combat drone will carry the RPG with no Backblast, Iran’s Fars news agency reported Oct. 1.

Pakpour also noted that the drone has passed the tests and will be completed in the near future.
Iran unveiled its first homemade fighter drone that carries air-to-air missiles on Sept. 23.

The Iranian media outlets reported that the drone is capable of destroying all types of aircrafts including fighters, small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters.

The Islamic Republic has so far unveiled various domestically produced drones, including Ababil, Fotros, Hazem, Karrar (long range attack drone), Mohajer, Sarir, Shahed 129, Yasir and Zohal.
The country unveiled its first domestically manufactured long-range UAV named Karrar in 2010. The first Iranian medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, the Shahed-129 was unveiled in September 2012, which is capable of carrying out combat and reconnaissance eight missions for 24 hours and has a range of 1,700 km.

The country also unveiled its largest yet homemade UAV, titled 'Fotros' in 2013. Fotros has a range of some 2,000 kilometers and is capable of launching air-to-surface missile strikes. The drone can fly at an altitude of 25,000 feet, with a flight time of 16 to 30 hours.

Iran started mass production of the "Yasir" UAV in September 2013. Yasir can fly at an altitude of 15,000 ft., be in flight for eight hours, cover the distance of 200 km, and does not need a runway. The UAV is equipped with light powerful modern cameras, and can precisely control the target. Hmmm....To boldly go where no drone went before.

How 3D Printing Will provide On-Demand Swarms of Disposable Drones.

How 3D Printing Will provide On-Demand Swarms of Disposable Drones.(Gizmodo).

New advances in 3D printing are making it not only possible but also viable to manufacture cheap, print-on-demand, disposable drones designed simply to soar off over the horizon and never come back.

Some British engineers did just that, and this is only the beginning.

The team hails from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield, where they're exploring innovative ways to 3D-print complex designs.

They built their disposable drone, a five-foot-wide guy made of just nine parts that looks like a tiny stealth bomber, using a technique called fused deposition modeling.

This additive manufacturing technique has been around since the 1980s but has recently become faster and cheaper thanks to improved design processes.Read the full story here.

Iran Mounts Air-to-Sea Missile on Home-Made Drone to Destroy 'Aggressive' Vessels in Persian Gulf.

Iran Mounts Air-to-Sea Missile on Home-Made Drone to Destroy American 'Aggressive' Vessels in Persian Gulf.(Fars).

Iran mounted a new air-to-sea missile dubbed ‘Kosar’ on its advanced home-made combat drone, Karrar, to target enemy vessels in any possible military confrontation in the Persian Gulf.

The Kosar missiles are equipped with remote-control and search and positioning systems used in electronic wars, which increase its capability to defend the country’s coasts and islands in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The missile can hit the target in three modes of land-to-sea, sea-to-sea and air-to-sea and can target small and mid-size warships with a high precision capability.

The Iran-made drone, Karrar, is an advanced home-made combat UAV which is capable of carrying a military payload to carry out bombing missions against ground targets.It is also capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.

“Karrar has a maximum flying range of 1000km in distance,” former Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said in 2010 on the sidelines of a ceremony to unveil Karrar, and added, “In addition to Karrar, Iran possesses other UAVs with a flying range of 1,000 km.”

“The jet drone enjoys abundant capabilities, including its far range and operational depth,” he said, adding that Iranian experts have increased the flying altitude of the UAV.

Iran’s possession of such advanced missiles and drones make the US and its allies to think twice about military action against Tehran.

The United States has long stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran’s progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle-East and close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.An estimated 40 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through the waterway.Hmmm....Someone preparing for War?

US Drone crashes into US battleship, causes $30 mln in damages.

US Drone crashes into US battleship, causes $30 mln in damages.(RT).

The incident occurred last November near Point Mugu, California, but the website USNI just recently reported the Navy will need about six months to fully repair the USS Chancellorsville.

According to the original Navy Times report on the accident, a malfunctioning Northrop Grumman BQM-74 crashed into the port side of the Chancellorsville during a training exercise that involved a routine radar test. The ship “was heavily damaged by the impact of a test target,” while the 13-foot drone itself “crippled a key computer center integral to the ship's cutting-edge combat systems.”

The Chancellorsville had about 300 crewmen onboard at the time of the collision. Two were treated for minor burns, though the Navy did not say how the individuals were injured. Sailors had only a four-second warning once drone operators realized they lost control over the BQM-74.

“There was just a breakdown in communications … and the ship had no time to react,” an unnamed crewman told the Navy Times.


As USNI reported, BQM-74 drones are usually outfitted with a feature that would keep the machine from colliding into a naval vessel when control is lost, but it’s unclear whether or not this kind of capability was activated. The Navy added that the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

While the United States has deployed drones around the world, the unmanned vehicles have proven to be very susceptible to crashes. According to an NBC News report from last March, “drones are 30 to 300 percent more likely to crash than small civil aircrafts.” A 2012 survey from Bloomberg also found that for every 100,000 hours of drone flights, there are 9.31 accidents.Read the full story here.

Iran’s 'Moderate' Khamenei says Israel - The rabid dog of the region ‘doomed to collapse’.

Iran’s 'Moderate' Khamenei says Israel ‘doomed to collapse’.(AA).

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that arch-foe Israel is a regime “doomed to collapse,” escalating a war of words between the Islamic republic and the Jewish state.

“The [Israeli] Zionist regime is a regime whose pillars are extremely shaky and is doomed to collapse,” Khamenei told commanders of the hardline Basij militia force in Tehran.

“Any phenomenon that is created by force cannot endure,” he said in comments broadcast live on state television.

The remarks come at a time of strong criticism in Israel of efforts to strike a long-elusive deal between world powers and Iran on its controversial nuclear program.

Israel, the sole if undeclared nuclear armed state in the region, opposes a mooted deal.

The so-called P5+1 group of world powers and Iran are to resume talks in Geneva on Wednesday to seek an agreement that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called “dangerous.”

Khamenei rejected claims that Iran and its nuclear work posed a threat.

“The enemies of Iran sometimes and particularly the rabid dog of the region -- the Zionist regime -- malevolently claim that Iran is a threat to the entire world,” Khamenei said.

“No! The threat ... is the Zionist regime and some of its supporters,” he added angrily, as the Basij crowd burst into cries of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

He also launched a verbal attack on Israeli leaders. “The title of human is not worthy of the leaders of the Zionist regime,” Khamenei added.

Khamenei warned against Israeli threats of possible military action against Iranian nuclear installations. “Our reaction to any aggressor is ... a slap in the face they will never forget,” he said.

The Leader also said unlike what some people think, heroic leniency does not mean giving up the ideals of the Islamic establishment it means artistic maneuvers to achieve objectives.

Ayatollah Khamenei said a number of enemies used this as a pretext to accuse the Islamic establishment of backtracking on its principles which is untrue and a misunderstanding.

Senior Iranian cleric: We must hold the regime with claws and teeth

Senior Iranian cleric: We must hold the regime with claws and teeth.(NCRI).

A senior Iranian regime cleric has urged the country not to let the crippling political and economic crisis that threaten the existence of the regime.

Jafaar Shajouni said in a speech in the city of Kerman: "We cannot give up on the revolution and have our government undermined just for some water and bread.”

"We must hold on to this revolution with our claws and teeth and tolerate what is happening. All of us must mind our words and obey the Supreme Leader."

He described the economic and political crises that regime is facing as a 'test', adding: "We are not worried about the sanctions and price increases."
Shajouni whose speech was reported by state-run news agency on November 14, added: "Some [officials] who are deserters speak of being tired. Foreigners force us to be impatient, but we must display our resistance."
And he warned about the erosion of Ali Khamenei's authority and said that the lack of a Supreme Leader in other Muslim countries had caused a crisis and 'mislead' those who do not believe in the Velayat-e faqih.
Shajouni also emphasized that people must obey Iran's clerics and said: "We cannot let go of the revolution and give away the foundations of government for fuel, water and bread. We must be careful of what we say. We must learn to obey the Supreme Leader."

Khamenei: "The US government is head of the arrogance in the world."

Khamenei: "The US government is head of the arrogance in the world."(Taz).

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that in the nuclear talks of Iran and the Western states, there are some red lines that should be respected, IRINN state TV reported on Nov. 20.

"I do not intend to intervene into the details of negotiations," Khamenei said. "I insist that all the rights of Iranian people, including nuclear rights, should be considered."

Khamenei made the remarks while addressing Basij commanders from all around the country, with about 50,000 of Basij members attending a gathering with the Supreme Leader.
Further speaking about Iranian officials, Khamenei said he fully supports those officials, who manage the nuclear negotiating process between Iran and the Western states.
He said that Iran's officials should stand behind the rights of Iranian people.
Commenting on the sanctions imposed on Iran, Khamenei said Iranian people will never give up, and they will turn threats into opportunities.
"Sanctions are not useful for the enemies of Iran. The US officials also know that, because they repeatedly say that military option is on the table," Khamenei said.
"Iran has no enmity with the US people," he said.
Khamenei underlined that Iranian administration is against the "arroganct regime", adding that, the US government is head of the arrogance in the world.
"Arrogance regime does not acknowledge people's rights. They intervene in other nations` business and try to impose their own values on others," Khamenei noted.
He went on to add that for the US it is hard to see Iran as influential power in one of the most sensitive world regions, and see Iran challenging its influence in the region.