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.
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.
“I said to one of the defense companies, ‘I need a lot of drones, and you know, Iran makes good drones, and they make them for $35,000 to $40,000,’” he said.
“So I said to that company, ‘I want to see something like that.’ Two weeks later, they came to me with a drone that cost $41 million! I said, ‘That’s not what I was talking about. Forty-one million?! I’m talking about something that costs $35,000 to $40,000, so you can fly them by the thousands,'” he said.
Iran’s 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’s growing military might in West Asia.
The cutting-edge drone program has been among the Iranian military’s 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.
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’s defense capabilities will never be subject to negotiations.
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.
"I think we're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this," he said, referring to military action.
"You probably read today the story about Iran. It's sort of agreed to the terms," Trump said.
The US president did not specify which remarks he was referring to.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Trump labeled Iran as the “most destructive force” 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 “nuclear weapon,” rebuffing Tehran’s total rejection of such non-conventional arms.
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.
Pezeshkian criticized the United States for pursuing double-standard policies toward Iran.
"Trump thinks that he can sanction us, threaten us, and then sit back and talk about human rights … All the crimes in the region are because of these policies and these individuals,” he said.
“We 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.”
Iran’s 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.
"We are ready to build trust and transparency about our nuclear program in response to the lifting of sanctions," he said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry also firmly rejected the pejorative remarks that had been made by the US president against the country, calling them “false, divisive, and misleading.”
The ministry condemned Trump’s accusations as an attempt to distort the realities of the region and shift blame onto Tehran.
Press TV’s website
