Iran repositioned attack drones and other military assets under cover of joint exercises with Russia in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, a defense expert claimed.
In what he described as a “calculated escalation” amid rising tensions with the US, Cameron Chell said Iran’s latest move also followed reports of sightings of US MQ-9 Reaper drones with precision strike capabilities in the region.
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Defense expert Cameron Chell has called Iran’s military moves toward Russia a “calculated escalation.” (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The combined exercises, reported by The Associated pressalso came as President Donald Trump further pressured Iran to make a deal to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions, following indirect talks in Geneva.
“We’re going make a deal, otherwise we’ll get to a deal one way or another,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, signaling his determination to reach an agreement.
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Iran’s latest measures reportedly follow sightings of US MQ-9 Reaper drones. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, on February 18, US Central Command posted photos of F/A-18 Super Hornets landing on the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
Flight tracking data from the past few days also showed this US Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones operating near the Iranian coastline.
One Triton was observed on February 14 and another on February 18, conducting high-altitude maritime intelligence missions over the Gulf.
“The US has deployed an MQ Triton drone, a surveillance drone, so it has no strike capability and typically flies at about 50,000 feet,” Chell said.
He added that the drones would likely be launched from land bases in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Qatar and provide real-time situational awareness to naval commanders.
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“These drones can guide the U.S. to Iranian forces conducting exercises with the Russians and where they may be moving equipment,” Chell said before describing how they fly them “at an altitude where the Iranians can see, so they become a deterrent.”
Chell also said an MQ-9 Reaper drone was deployed, which he said can fly between 25,000 and 40,000 feet.
“This has a strike capability, but the Iranians don’t have a great ability to take it down,” he added.
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NATO country and US ally Poland also warned its citizens on Thursday to flee Iran immediately, with the prime minister saying the “possibility of conflict is very real”.
