Iranian general says armed forces ready to wage 'asymmetric warfare'

BEIRUT — Iranian army chief Major General Amir Hatami said the country's armed forces had strengthened their drone capabilities, drawing lessons from the two wars waged against Iran by the United States and Israel, according to official Iranian news agencies.

During a visit to a military facility dedicated to producing combat drones, Hatami said Tehran was ready to engage in "asymmetric warfare." He added that the army was actively involved in the production, deployment and maintenance of drones, and that troops were receiving the necessary training to operate them.

According to Hatami, unmanned weapon systems, including aerial drones, unmanned surface vessels and microdrones, are playing an increasingly prominent role in modern conflicts.

The regular Iranian army is one component of the country's armed forces, alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The latter also threatened on Thursday to widen the conflict between Tehran and Washington if U.S. forces continued to assist ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran claims control over the strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil was transported before the war began in late February with Israeli-American strikes against Tehran. Iranian forces regularly target ships that attempt to transit the strait without their authorization.