Iran continues flirting with provocative irony, as it delivers its first unmanned drone bomber.
By Micah Hanks
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appearing before defense officials and international press on Sunday, spoke with pride as he stood before images of a small, unmanned aircraft Iran is touting as the country’s first domestically-build drone bomber.
The inauguration ceremony, which was largely attended by top Iranian military officials, was both somber and ironic in its overtones, as President Ahmadinejad referred to the craft as both “a messenger of salvation and dignity for humanity,” as well as “a symbol of death to Iran’s enemies.” The ceremony took place within hours of international media sources widely covering the loading of Iran’s Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power facility with fuel.
Following economic sanctions placed against the country to try and offset the development of a controversial nuclear program, these displays of militaristic and scientific prowess by Iran are intended as a warning; and have been issued in stark defiance of international measures to curb their development of deadly weapons of mass destruction. Israel, as well as the U.S., have explored military action to prevent escalation of a full-on conflict. Meanwhile, Iran continues with threats of eliminating it’s so-called “Zionist” menace, referring to “world aggressors” as a blanket catch-all for superpowers it hopes to defend against in the future.
Having weapons for defense purposes is the hope of any economically viable and prosperous nation. However, the threats and provocations being leveled by Ahmadinejad and Iranian defense officials have continued yielding tones that are overtly threatening, boasting a certain callousness in their flair for confrontation. As the rest of the world powers attempt to stave off the country’s ability to harness destructive potential, it seems Iran is hopes to give, if nothing else, the impression of poising itself for launching future conflict–no matter what the cost.
Image by Leslie Angeline via Flickr.
