{"id":728461,"date":"2026-01-29T11:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/728461\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:34:10","slug":"iran-adds-1000-drones-to-army-as-tensions-rise-with-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/728461\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Adds 1,000 Drones to Army as Tensions Rise With United States"},"content":{"rendered":"

Military chief vows \u201ccrushing response\u201d while Russia urges restraint and keeps door open to negotiations.<\/p>\n

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) \u2014<\/strong> Iran\u2019s army has inducted 1,000 new drones into its combat regiments, its military chief said Thursday, vowing a \u201ccrushing response\u201d to any attack as tensions with the United States intensify following the deployment of a U.S. strike force to regional waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn accordance with the threats we are facing, maintaining and enhancing strategic advantages for rapid combat and a crushing response to any invasion is always on the army\u2019s agenda,\u201d Iran\u2019s army commander, Amir Hatami, said in remarks broadcast by state television.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes amid mounting rhetoric between Tehran and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the United States was \u201cready, willing and able\u201d to strike Iran \u201cif necessary.\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. has not ruled out using military force, citing concerns ranging from regional security to Iran\u2019s internal crackdown on protests.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed the hardline tone, saying the country\u2019s forces have their \u201cfingers on the trigger\u201d and would respond \u201cpowerfully\u201d to any U.S. military action.<\/p>\n

Amid the escalation, Russia signaled that diplomatic options remain. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday there was still room for negotiations between Tehran and Washington, calling on all parties to avoid military confrontation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that the potential for negotiations is not exhausted,\u201d Peskov told reporters, urging \u201call sides to show restraint and refrain from methods of force.\u201d He warned that any use of force would risk plunging the region into chaos with \u201cvery dangerous consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran has emerged as one of Russia\u2019s closest allies during the war in Ukraine, deepening political and military ties between the two countries as both face pressure from the West.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, rights groups continue to accuse Iranian security forces of killing thousands of people while suppressing mass protests against the ruling system, allegations that Tehran denies. The internal unrest and the standoff with Washington have added to concerns about wider instability in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

France on Wednesday announced<\/a> it would support efforts to place Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the European Union\u2019s list of terrorist organizations, marking a notable hardening of Europe\u2019s stance toward Tehran amid outrage over its violent repression of nationwide protests.<\/p>\n

The French presidency said it would back a move led by Italy, citing the IRGC\u2019s alleged leading role in a deadly crackdown on demonstrators. Foreign Minister Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot said the \u201cunbearable repression of the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people\u201d could not go unanswered, praising what he called the protesters\u2019 extraordinary courage in the face of \u201cblind violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

France\u2019s shift follows similar backing from Italy and Germany, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressing regret that some EU member states remain hesitant. With Paris, Rome, and Berlin now aligned, the proposal is expected to gain political approval soon, though it still requires unanimity among the bloc\u2019s 27 members.<\/p>\n

The IRGC\u2014regarded as Iran\u2019s ideological military force tasked with safeguarding the 1979 Islamic Revolution\u2014is already designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and Australia. An EU designation would impose travel bans, asset freezes, and strict financial prohibitions, further tightening pressure on Tehran at a moment of rising regional tensions and internal unrest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Military chief vows \u201ccrushing response\u201d while Russia urges restraint and keeps door open to negotiations. ERBIL (Kurdistan24) \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[216664,49,978,79260,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-728461","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-eu-iran-relations","9":"tag-united-states","10":"tag-us","11":"tag-us-iran-tensions","12":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115978178564397037","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}