TEHRAN – A senior lawmaker has said Iran’s drone capabilities ensure security at a time when missiles determine things. 

The lawmaker, Ali Reza Salimi, who is a member of the Iranian parliament’s presiding board, said, “Today is not only the age of dialogue, but also the age of missiles, and the power of the Islamic Republic's missile drones guarantees the country's security.”

He made the remarks at an open session of parliament on Sunday. 

Iran has made great strides in developing its drone capabilities. In mid-June, the Iranian Navy unveiled the first drone carrier that includes a variety of modern and advanced types of drones that were produced and manufactured by Iranian experts.

The naval division, which joined the southern fleet, consists of military ships and submarines carrying a broad range of combat, reconnaissance and suicide drones, according to Tasnim.

The event was attended by Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi and Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani.

Affirming the growing progress of Iran’s defense capabilities, General Mousavi said the drones and reconnaissance planes have increased the intelligence of Iranian ships and their monitoring capabilities in international waters, according to Al Alam.

The UAVs aboard the naval division include advanced aircraft manufactured by the Army and the Defense Ministry in cooperation with the knowledge-based centers. The drones include Pelican, Homa, Arash, Chamrosh, Jubin, Ababil-4 and Bavar-5, which flew over the Indian Ocean waters.

Apart from various types of Iranian sea-based drones that flew in the event, a number of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) combat drones went into the air from the homegrown Fateh and Tareq submarines.

In comments at the event, Major General Mousavi said Iran needs to boost its defense power constantly considering the aggressive nature of the hegemonic system.

“Given the aggressive tendency and authoritarian spirit of the aggressors, we had to increase our defensive capabilities in all fields. Reconnaissance planes have increased our ships' monitoring capabilities to cover hundreds of kilometers outside the country's borders,” he said.