Iran's State TV Airs Footage Of Underground Drone Facility

Footage aired on Iranian state television on Thursday (October 22) purportedly showed an underground drone production facility, visited by country's army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami. Reuters could not verify when or where the footage was filmed. Speaking to a state TV reported, army chief Hatami said Iran was expanding production centres, "supported by good infrastructure and scientific work." Before the war, Iran had the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, including cluster munitions that are difficult for air defences to block, according to the US government. In addition, Iran has a thriving drone industry; pre-war it was capable of producing around 10,000 a month, with the Shahed as the flagship explosive aircraft. The war began in February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The Trump administration has said it aims to weaken Iran's military by sinking its navy, destroying its missile and drone capability and ensuring that the Islamic Republic never has a nuclear weapon. The US, Israel and Western allies have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Iran has denied.