Tehran – Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is highly capable of employing aerial drones to counter any potential US-led covert war against the country.

Iran has great capabilities in all fields of national defense, including the use of intelligence drones as well as the decoding of such aircraft and countering electronic and covert warfare, Vahidi said on Sunday, Press TV reported.

He added that the Islamic Republic will develop and maintain its accomplishments which have been achieved during “the most difficult circumstances and under full, comprehensive sanctions.”

The minister noted that Iranian scientists would persistently follow the path of Iran's progress and reach even more scientific and technical milestones.

He also slammed the UN silence on the violation of Iran's airspace by an American spy drone, recently brought down by Iranian air defense forces.

The United States blatantly breached all international regulations and violated the rights of Iran and Afghanistan, Vahidi said, adding that, however, the issue faced the silence of international bodies, particularly the United Nations.

On December 4, the Iranian military's electronic warfare unit downed a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance aircraft inside Iran with minimal damage.