Iranian Arash-2 drones<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump says he asked American companies to manufacture drones similar to Iranian drones, which are not very expensive but very fast and lethal.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump made the remarks in Qatar on Thursday before flying on to the United Arab Emirates for the third and final leg of the tour that began in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to one of the defense companies, \u2018I need a lot of drones, and you know, Iran makes good drones, and they make them for $35,000 to $40,000,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I said to that company, \u2018I want to see something like that.\u2019 Two weeks later, they came to me with a drone that cost $41 million! I said, \u2018That\u2019s not what I was talking about. Forty-one million?! I\u2019m talking about something that costs $35,000 to $40,000, so you can fly them by the thousands,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s massive and rapid progress in drone technology and its capabilities to carry out long-range strikes in drone warfare with a high level of accuracy have cemented the country\u2019s growing military might in West Asia.<\/p>\n The cutting-edge drone program has been among the Iranian military\u2019s breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous defensive equipment to make the armed forces self-sufficient in the face of years-long US threats and sanctions.<\/p>\n Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which is entirely meant for defense, saying the Islamic Republic\u2019s defense capabilities will never be subject to negotiations.<\/p>\n Speaking in Doha on Thursday, Trump also said that a nuclear deal with Iran was close that would avert what he called a military action against the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n “I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this,” he said, referring to military action.<\/p>\n “You probably read today the story about Iran. It’s sort of agreed to the terms,” Trump said.<\/p>\n The US president did not specify which remarks he was referring to.<\/p>\n During his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday,\u00a0 Trump labeled Iran as the \u201cmost destructive force\u201d in the West Asia region. He accused Iran of fueling regional instability and said the United States would not allow the country to develop a \u201cnuclear weapon,\u201d rebuffing Tehran\u2019s total rejection of such non-conventional arms.<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will never bow to threats and pressure, rebuking Trump, who has accused Tehran of being a destabilizing force in the region.<\/p>\n Speaking on Thursday, Pezeshkian criticized the United States for pursuing double-standard policies toward Iran.<\/p>\n “Trump thinks that he can sanction us, threaten us, and then sit back and talk about human rights \u2026 All the crimes in the region are because of these policies and these individuals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe seek peace, not war. We have always been seeking to live in peace and [based on] mutual respect, both when it comes to internal issues and also in relations with our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had yet to receive any proposal in writing from the United States but said it stood to build trust if sanctions were lifted.<\/p>\n “We are ready to build trust and transparency about our nuclear program in response to the lifting of sanctions,” he said.<\/p>\n In a statement issued on Wednesday, Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry also firmly rejected the pejorative remarks that had been made by the US president against the country, calling them \u201cfalse, divisive, and misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n The ministry condemned Trump\u2019s accusations as an attempt to distort the realities of the region and shift blame onto Tehran.<\/p>\n