Iran says it captured 'enemy drone'

Iran said Saturday that it downed and captured another "enemy drone," the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

The incident reportedly took place during Iranian military maneuvers in southern Iran.

"IRGC's electronic warfare systems detected electronic signals, which indicated that foreign drones intended to enter our country," said Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Lt. Gen. Hamid Sarkheili, Fars reported. "Our specialist forces then succeeded in bringing down the drone in the field of maneuvers."

Sarkheili said that Iran may release film of the drone.

Earlier this month, Iran said that it had decoded and released footage from a U.S. drone that it downed more than a year ago.

The black and white aerial footage, which Iran claims was from a RQ-170 spy plane, was aired by Iranian news agencies and placed on YouTube.

Iran said it downed the drone on December 4, 2011, near Kashmar in the country's northeast, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the border with Afghanistan.

At the time, U.S. officials acknowledged that the drone was missing and President Barack Obama asked Iran to return it.

Iranian military officials vowed not to return the plane.

Iran president unveils Qaher-313 indigenous fighter jet

Iran has unveiled a new indigenous fighter jet, which is said to be similar to a US-made warplane.

Qaher-313 (Conqueror-313) advanced military aircraft was put on display during a ceremony on Saturday in the presence of Commander of Iran’s Army Major General Ataollah Salehi, Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi and Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi on the occasion of the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations commemorating the victory of 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran's fast attack craft fleet: behind the hyperbole

Iran's purchase of the British-made world record setting speedboat Stirred up Bladerunner Increased chatter on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's (IRGCN) development of a fast attack craft new (CAF) fleet. Simon O. Williams looks beyond the hyperbole to examine in the context of FACs WIDER Developments in Iran's naval arsenal.

Technical analysts, policy advisors, strategic planners and even the media rallied around the key buzzwords of 'anti-access / area denial' (A2/AD), 'hybrid warfare' and 'swarm tactics' hyping up the situation. DESPITE Such nests using terminology and Increased focus in the public domain, it is Necessary to look beyond the rhetoric to IRGCN's provocative Such Evaluate Developments in Their naval arsenal.

Reverse engineering the Bladerunner

Manufactured by Ice Marine, the Bladerunner, sold through a structure of international transactions, ended up in Bandar Abbas, Iran 's largest port, Which houses the IRGCN's headquarters. There, the vessel was Dissected, rebuilt and armed with sophisticated weapons systems. Like previous platforms, from reverse engineering design analysis procedures was used to build and commission a fleet of clones able of executing tasks in IRGCN Iran's coastline Areas in the Strait of Hormuz.

Questions Were raised about Iran's Ability to copy the main performance components of the Bladerunner, SPECIFICALLY the twin 1000 HP Caterpillar C18 inboard engines and Arneson ASD12 area drives, purpose technical experts suggest That Iran may well

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Have the capabilities to replicate thesis components and IRGCN leadership claims Already they've succeeded. With thesis systems, speed alone Would the vessels offer a competitive offensive and defensive performance edge, ALLOWING hit-and-run activities to be Executed with top-notch manoeuvrability.

Iranian Weapons Support for Hamas Shows No Signs of Slowing

It's no secret that Iran has been supplying Hamas with weapons and rockets to use against Israel, but a special report by the  Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center concluded just how deep the terror link between Iran and Hamas runs, and showed how Operation Pillar of Defense marked a major turning point in the relationship between the terrorist organization and the renegade state.

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In Operation Pillar of Defense, the IDF struck hard at the military power of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, mainly hitting their weapons stockpile, either supplied directly by iran or built in Gaza using Iranian technology.
It has long been known that the major military capabilities of Hamas were the product of massive Iranian support. The medium-range Fajr-5 rockets (made in Iran) and M75s (manufactured in Gaza with technology from Iran) targeted Israeli civilian population centers, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
The report noted that aid from Iran to Hamas was being sent over in massive numbers in the years leading up to the military operation.
"The main route for smuggling arms was from Iran to Sudan and from Sudan to Egypt and into the Gaza Strip through the smuggling tunnels controlled by Hamas," said the report, adding that sea routes were also used to smuggle in weapons, as revealed on March 15, 2011 when the freighter Victoria was seized by the IDF. "The ship was carrying arms bound for the Gaza Strip by way of Egypt, whose arrival would upgrade military capabilities of the terrorist organizations. Among the weapons on board the Victoria were C704 anti-ship missiles, which could be used to attack not only military and civilian vessels but also strategic targets in the southern Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon," the report noted. 
The main turning point that came with Operation Pillar of Defense is that before the operation Iranian aid to Hamas and the smuggling of weapons was always kept secret and always denied by Iran. However, after the operation, Iran decided to reveal that it had been giving military aid to the terrorist organizations in Gaza.
"In our assessment, that was because of Iran's deep frustration with the way Egypt and other Muslim countries, such as Turkey and Qatar, had made political and propaganda capital from their support for Hamas during Operation Pillar of Defense," the report stated. "By exposing its military aid Iran hoped, in our assessment, to make political capital."

Briton jailed in US over Iran missile smuggling

A British businessman was sentenced to 33 months in a US prison Wednesday for trying to smuggle a key missile component to Iran, officials said.

Christopher Tappin, 66, pleaded guilty in November to attempting to ship specialized batteries used for the Hawk air defense missile to Iran using false export papers.

"Those who violate federal law for monetary gain, and in the process put the national security of the United States and its allies at risk, will face prosecution and punishment for their callous disregard for the public's safety," United States Attorney Robert Pitman said in a statement.

Tappin was caught in a sting operation involving an undercover federal agent.

Iran Targets Dissidents With 30,000-Strong Spy Army

In February 2010, Iranian spies had Tehran’s most wanted man in their sights. Their target, Sunni Islamist militant Abdolmalek Rigi, had killed an Iranian general and was responsible for a string of terrorist attacks in Iran from across the Pakistani border. After Rigi boarded a commercial flight to Dubai that took him through Iranian airspace, secret agents on board appeared, ordered the plane to land, and then arrested Rigi. He was later executed.
That’s just one operation in recent years by the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or MOIS. According to a new report by the Federal Research Division at the Library of Congress, the spy agency counts as “the most powerful and well-supported ministry among all Iranian ministries” (.pdf) in terms of finances and support. The report, first obtained by Bill Gertz at The Washington Free Beacon, describes a 30,000 strong army of spies — the largest intelligence agency in the Middle East — responsible for assassinating political opponents, espionage, and, above all, crushing potential rivals to Tehran’s ruling elite.
But first note that the MOIS is distinct from the Quds Force, the combination special forces and CIA-styled intelligence wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. According to the report, the MOIS is mainly a domestic agency directed at infiltrating regime opponents inside Iran — as well as dissident groups organized by Iranian expatriates around the world. It’s currently headed by cleric Heydar Moslehi, who the U.S. government has sanctioned for being allegedly responsible for “beatings, mental abuse, and sexual abuse” carried out against Iranian political prisoners.
That makes it distinct from the Quds Force, Iran’s combination of foreign intelligence service and special forces units. The Quds Force — led by the mysterious Gen. Qassem Suleimani — is responsible “for the most part” in carrying out “extraterritorial operations such as sabotage, assassinations, and espionage.”
The MOIS is also opaque by nature, and it’s worth treading cautiously with the report’s claims, some of which are quite alarmist. There are allegations Iran works with al-Qaida against the U.S., but the report is scant on the details aside from attempts by Osama bin Laden to approach Iran during the 1990s. The claim also belies evidence, in recent years, that the relationship between Iran and al-Qaida has been characterized more by hostage trading and hostility rather than working together as allies.

Tehran will conduct several military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz in the coming months

Tehran has programmed several military maneuvers in the sensitive Strait of Hormuz in the coming months, according to the commander of the Navy Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Admiral Ali Fadavi, which however did not specify the exact timing .

Iran's long-range missiles said to lag U.S. intelligence fears

An internal report for the U.S. Congress has concluded that Iran probably is no longer on track, if it ever was, to having an ocean-crossing missile as soon as 2015.
The study casts doubt on a view long held by U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran could be able to test-fly by 2015 an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, if it receives "sufficient foreign assistance."
"It is increasingly uncertain whether Iran will be able to achieve an ICBM capability by 2015," said the report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, which works exclusively for lawmakers.
Iran does not appear to be receiving as much help as would likely be necessary, notably from China or Russia, to reach that goal, according to the 66-page report dated Thursday.
It is also increasingly tough for Tehran to obtain certain critical components and materials because of international sanctions related to its disputed nuclear program.
In addition, Iran has not demonstrated the kind of flight test program generally deemed necessary to produce an ICBM, said the study by Steven Hildreth, a specialist in missile defense who consulted seven external expert reviewers.
The study appears to be the most detailed unclassified look yet at Iran's controversial ballistic missile and space programs. It does not address Tehran's nuclear program, which has prompted international fears that it could lead to atomic weapons at short notice.
An effective nuclear-weapons capability requires three things to work together - enough fissile material, a reliable weapons device and an effective delivery system, such as a ballistic missile that can grow out of a space launch program.
Iran's efforts to develop, test and field ballistic missiles and build a space launch capability have helped drive billions of dollars of U.S. ballistic missile defense spending, further destabilized the Middle East and contributed to Israel's push for pre-emptive action.

Two Powers, Qatar And Iran, Try To Sway Hamas

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--The courtship of Hamas between rivals Iran and Qatar has been one of the Middle East's intriguing subplots of the Arab Spring. The bloodshed in Gaza has now sharpened their competition for influence with the Palestinian militant group and the direction it takes in the future.
Qatar has sought to use its vast wealth to win over Hamas with investments and humanitarian aid and encouraging Arab partners to do the same — part of the hyper-rich U.S. allied nation's broader campaign to bring under its wing Islamist movements that have risen to power in the region the past two years. Qatar's influence with Hamas could edge it away from armed action toward diplomacy.
Iran, meanwhile, is invigorating its longtime role as the builder of the rocket arsenal for Hamas' military wing.
For Hamas, there are benefits in both directions — and it's happy to play both sides. During a celebration rally in Gaza City after an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire came into place ending fighting between Israel and Hamas, Gazans wildly waved flags of Qatar, along with those of Egypt and Turkey, in gratitude for those countries' diplomatic support.
At the same time, Hamas' leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal, who is based out of Qatar, gave a very public thanks to Iran for standing by Gaza with crucial military assistance. Fighters in Gaza also hailed the new reach of their arsenal, with Iranian-designed Fajr-5 rattling Israel by reaching the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Turkey Swaps Gold For Iranian Gas

Loophole in Western Sanctions Allows Iran to Buy Gold in Turkey With Turkish Payments for Gas Imported From Iran

Turkey on Friday acknowledged that a surge in its gold exports this year is related to payments for imports of Iranian natural gas, shedding light on Ankara's role in breaching U.S.-led sanctions against Tehran.
The continuing trade deal offers the most striking example of how Iran is using creative ways to sidestep Western sanctions over its disputed nuclear program, which have largely frozen it out of the global banking system.
The disclosure was made by Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and top economic policy maker Ali Babacan in answers to questions from the parliamentary budget committee.
Iran provides 18% of Turkey's natural gas and 51% of its oil. But since U.S. and European Union sanctions ban Tehran from receiving payments in dollars or euros, Ankara pays Iran for the gas in Turkish liras. The lira is of limited value for buying goods on international markets but ideal for purchasing Turkish gold. The government hasn't specified how it pays for Iranian oil.
"In essence, gold exports [to Iran] end up like payments for our natural gas purchases," Mr. Babacan said. "Turkey is depositing the payment for the gas we purchase from Iran to Iran's account in Turkey…I don't know exactly how they then transfer it," he said.
The identity of the final destination of the gold in Iran isn't known, but the scale of the operation and its dramatic expansion suggest the Iranian government plays a key role, analysts say.
In Turkey, state-run lender Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS has been responsible for processing the payments, since the U.S. adopted a measure in January to stop dealing with financial institutions working with Iran's central bank, freezing out private Turkish banks from facilitating payments. Halkbank raised 4.5 billion liras ($2.5 billion) Monday in Turkey's biggest offering in a secondary share sale-a 20.8% stake, according to a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

Iran to launch satellite to space by solid-fueled missile

Chief Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Ali Jafari announced that Iran will launch new satellite to GEO orbits in space by solid-fueled missile, Fars reported.

Jafari said that as part of marking the first anniversary of IRGC general Hassan Tehrani's death, Iran will be launching its satellite into space by a solid-fueled missile.
One year ago, IRGC General Hassan Tehrani got killed as a result of an explosion occured during the missile test, that was supposed to test the solid-fueled rocket carrying a satellite to space.
"Iran has not launched a over 100-kg satellite (by liquid-fueled missile) to GEO orbit so far, but we planned this project and developed after Tehrani's death," he added.
Iran has already sent three satellites into space. On February 3, the country successfully launched its third domestically manufactured satellite, named the Navid (Promise), into orbit.

Iran successfully tests Koker-1 VTOL drone

Iran has successfully tested its first vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone, dubbed "Koker-1", and will officially unveil it on the Kish Island in the next calendar month of Azar (Nov. 22-Dec. 20), the Mehr News Agency reported.

The drone reportedly uses ultra-advanced technology and has been manufactured in Iran for the first time.

The "Koker-1" drone does not require runways at all and can take off and land vertically, experts say.

It is capable to fly continuously for three hours within a radius of 170 kilometers at 12,000 feet height in different climatic conditions.

According to earlier reports, Iranian experts have also built another radar-evading drone, named "Liko", with the capacity of carrying 100 kg of cargo for 100 kilometers.

Iranian jets fire on U.S. drone

wo Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed U.S. Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf on November 1, the Pentagon disclosed on Thursday.
The incident, reported first by CNN, raised fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes.

The drone was on routine maritime surveillance in international airspace east of Kuwait, 16 miles off the coast of Iran, U.S. officials said. The Predator was not hit.

"Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international air space. The recognized limit is 12 nautical miles off the coast and we never entered the 12 nautical mile limit," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in responding to questions from reporters after CNN reported the incident.
Little said the United States believed this was the first time an unmanned aircraft was shot at by the Iranians in international waters over the Gulf.  In December of 2011, a U.S. surveillance drone crashed in eastern Iran.  Iranians claimed to have shot it down, and created a toy model of the drone to celebrate its capture.
Little stopped short of calling the incident an act of war although the Pentagon was concerned.

Two U.S. officials explained the jets were part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps force, which has been more confrontational than regular Iranian military forces.

Iran's Speedboats Capable of Launching Cruise Missiles

Iran's speedboats have been equipped with the capability to fire different types of anti-ship cruise missiles, an Iranian defense official announced on Monday.

"Our missiles have the capability of being launched from boats with the speed of over 30 knots, and these missiles include Zafar, Nasr, Nour and Qader," Deputy Defense Minister and Head of Iran's Aerospace Organization General Mehdi Farah told FNA, adding that "Qadir missiles" will also be added to the list in near future. He underlined Iran's growing missile capability as well as the special capabilities of Iran's cruise and coast to sea missiles, and underlined high flexibility in the tactical use and missions of these missiles. "The tactical use (and goals) of these missiles can vary in accordance with the type of threat." In May, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that Iran has allocated thousands of its speed boats for military purposes, adding that production of missile-launching speedboats is under Iran's monopoly. "All throughout the world, Iran is the only country which has speed vessels with the ability of firing (rockets and missile) at high speeds," Fadavi said at the time.

Is This Iranian Defection An Intelligence Coup For The CIA?

Defecting Iranian cameraman brings CIA priceless film of secret nuclear sites 

 

reveals one of the CIA’s most dramatic scoops in many years, and epic disaster for Iran. Our most exclusive Iranian and intelligence sources disclose that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal cameraman, Hassan Golkhanban, who defected from his UN entourage in New York on Oct. 1, brought with him an intelligence treasure trove of up-to-date photographs and videos of top Iranian leaders visiting their most sensitive and secret nuclear and missile sites.
The cameraman, who is in his 40s, is staying at an undisclosed address, presumably a CIA safe house under close guard.
He stayed behind when Ahmadinejad, after his UN speech, departed New York with his 140-strong entourage. For some years, Golkhanban worked not just as a news cameraman but personally recorded visits by the Iranian president and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of top-secret nuclear facilities and Revolutionary Guards installations.
When he left Tehran in the president’s party, his luggage was not searched and so he was able to bring out two suitcases packed with precious film and deliver it safely into waiting hands in New York.
The Iranian cameraman has given US intelligence the most complete and updated footage it has ever obtained of the interiors of Iran’s top secret military facilities and various nuclear installations, including some never revealed to nuclear watchdog inspectors. Among them are exclusive interior shots of the Natanz nuclear complex, the Fordo underground enrichment plant, the Parchin military complex and the small Amir-Abad research reactor in Tehran.

Iran Says Nuclear Equipment Was Sabotaged

 Iran on Saturday accused the German technology company Siemens of planting tiny explosives inside equipment Iran bought for its disputed nuclear program, a charge Siemens denied.

Aladdin Boroujerdi, a prominent lawmaker, said Iranian security experts discovered the explosives and removed them before detonation. The authorities believe that the booby-trapped equipment was sold to derail uranium enrichment efforts, he said.

Siemens said its nuclear division had had no business with Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Any sale of nuclear equipment to Iran is banned under United Nations sanctions, raising the possibility that if the country indeed has some, it was acquired through third parties.

Mr. Boroujerdi did not say when or how Iran had obtained Siemens equipment. Despite a wide array of international sanctions, Germany remains one of Iran’s most important trading partners.

The United States and its allies suspect that Iran’s nuclear work is aimed at producing weapons. Iran says it wants to enrich uranium only for peaceful purposes, and asserts that it has been the target of a concerted campaign by Israel, the United States and their allies to undermine its nuclear efforts covertly.

Iran Displays Newest Air-Defense Missile System in Parades

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) displayed a highly advanced air defense shield, called 'Ra'd', during military parades in Southern Tehran on Friday.

According to IRGC Air Defense Unit, the highly-advanced home-made Ra'd (Thunder) air defense system is equipped with 'Taer' (Bird) missiles, which can trace and hit targets 50km in distance and 75,000f in altitude. The production and use of the system can boost Iran's air-defense capabilities in various fields, officials said earlier this month. IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari had informed on Sunday that his forces had started the production of the Ra'd system. "The Ra'd air-defense system, which is more advanced than the Buckeye system has recently been developed and is now being mass-produced," Jafari told reporters in a press conference here in Tehran Sunday. "In ranges up to 50km and in altitudes from 25 to 27km (70,000 feet), Ra'd is ranked as a mid-range radar system," added the General.

Iranian Invents Fragrance to Deceive Enemies in Battlefield

An Iranian innovator said he has invented a fragrance-making and spraying device to deceive enemies in the battlefield by camouflaging the gunpowder smelt in the area.

Mohammad Sadeh Pir-Tavana, the inventor of the aroma producing and spraying device, told FNA on Monday that his invention pumps and spreads the smell of fresh air, rainy weather, seaside weather and tea fragrance in vast areas to change the smell of the battlefield, specially in those areas where the two sides are not deployed classically and the two warring parties should analyze various battlefield specifications, including the smell of the gunpowder, to realize if there has been any armed force or engagement there. "The 'Deceit Perfume' is considered as a highly effective and strategic weapon for civil defense, and for pushing back enemy threats, surprise attacks and offenses," Sadeh Pir-Tavana said.

Iran Displays Underground Missile Silos in Army Exhibition

The Iranian Army displayed its latest military achievements, including underground missile launch-pads, in an exhibition in the Northern Iranian city of Noshahr.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei visited the exhibition of the Army's technical, defense, combat and scientific achievements and activities. Research drones equipped with laser system capability and subsurface remote-controlled Taha reconnaissance vessels were among the achievements on display in the exhibition. The underground missile silo, dubbed as Jask-2, with the capability of launching missiles from underground launch-pads against surface targets were among the other achievements of the Iranian army displayed in the exhibition. In July 2011, Iran announced that it has conducted a successful test of hitting mobile naval targets in international waters by three hi-tech and radar-evading missiles. The missile drills conducted by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in late June 2011 demonstrated that Iran has made some huge progress in missile technology.

Iran close to nuclear weapons mid-2013

Iran is on the point of being able to build a nuclear weapon within six or seven months and U.S. President Barack Obama has clearly set in Tehran a "red line" not to cross said Benjamin now Netanyahu.

Speaking on U.S. television, the Israeli prime minister said that Iran completed by mid-2013 90% of the way allowing him to have enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb.

He urged the United States to impose a limit on the Islamic Republic not to cross or risk military intervention that Barack Obama refuses to do. "We must draw the red line in front of them now, before it is too late," Netanyahu said during the show "Meet the Press" on NBC. Such an initiative would probably just do not have recourse to force, he added.