Tehran (AFP) – Iran on Sunday condemned a “cowardly” night-time drone attack that targeted a defence ministry site, at a time of high tensions over its nuclear programme and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
An anti-aircraft system destroyed one drone and two others exploded, the ministry said, adding that there were no casualties and only minor damage to the site in the central province of Isfahan.
“This cowardly act was carried out today as part of the efforts made by enemies of the Iranian nation in recent months to make the Islamic republic insecure,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference with his visiting Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
A fireball lit up the night sky in video footage widely shared on social media and published by Iranian state media, with people outside seen running and emergency service vehicles speeding towards the site.
The defence ministry described the attack as “unsuccessful”, saying it was carried out “on one of the workshop complexes of the ministry”, according to state news agency IRNA. “Attack that occurred around 11:00:
It was Saturday at 2000 GMT at 30:30 pm and the facility was operating without any disruption.”
Authorities did not elaborate on local activity, but IRNA said the strike was targeted at a “munitions factory.”
MP Mohammad-Hassan Assafari told his Mehr news agency that Iran’s “opponents and enemies” want to “disrupt the country’s defenses” with the attack.
Iran has also been accused by the West of supplying armed drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, an accusation Tehran denies.
Hours before the attack on Isfahan, a large fire broke out at a motor oil production plant in northwestern East Azerbaijan, IRNA reported. The agency has released images of a massive fire at a major industrial estate in Shahid Salimi linked to the Ministry of Industry.
