Iran alleges US, Israel of using ‘Shahed drone clones’ for false-flag operation in Gulf

Tehran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying replica versions of Iran’s Shahed-type drones to carry out attacks in the Middle East and falsely attribute them to Iran.

According to Press Tv report, the spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has accused the United States and Israel of deploying a rebranded copy of Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, designated “Lucas,” to carry the alleged operations form part of a “false-flag campaign” aimed at fuelling regional instability and creating a pretext for further military action against Tehran.

Iranian officials claim that drones used in some recent strikes resemble the Shahed-136, a one-way attack drone developed by Iran, but argue that they are modified or cloned versions deployed by Western forces.

The spokesman pointed to a series of “suspicious attacks” in recent days on facilities in friendly neighboring countries, including Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq, which Western media outlets and hostile parties have falsely attributed to Iranian forces.

He stressed that Iran’s military operations remain strictly disciplined, governed by clear legal principles, and limited exclusively to military targets belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime.

About Shahed drones

The Shahed-136 is an Iranian-designed loitering munition, often described as a “kamikaze drone”, which is capable of striking ground targets after flying long distances. The system can be launched in swarms and has been used in several conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and in wider Middle Eastern tensions.

Regional context

The accusations come amid rising confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel, with missile and drone incidents reported across several Gulf countries and continuing military activity in the region.