Iran unveils new long-range “bomber” drone

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled on Sunday a new long-range drone, dubbed Karar, which reportedly can bomb targets at high speed, state television reported.

Television footage showed the president applauding as a blue cloth which had been covering the drone was pulled back to reveal a short aircraft painted in military-green with the words "Bomber jet" written on its side.

Images were then broadcast on television showing the aircraft flying. Ahmadinejad made a speech at the ceremony, held in a hall of Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, but did not mention the drone.

The unveiling of the aircraft comes as Iran marks on Sunday its annual Defense Industries Day.

State television's website reported that the drone has "different capabilities, including carrying bombs to destroy targets." It said the plane can fly for a "long range at high speed."

The website cited Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying that the Karar is a "symbol of the versatility and advancement of Iran's defense industries."

Several military announcements

The unveiling of Karar, the nickname of Imam Ali, the first Shiite imam, comes two days after Iran test fired a domestically built surface-to-surface missile, Qiam (Rising).

Over the next few days Iran is expected to make series of further military announcements as the nation marks the annual government week, a period used by Tehran to tout its achievements.

In this period Iran is also expected to test fire a third generation Fateh 110 (Conqueror) missile. Iran has previously paraded a version of Fateh 110 which has a travel range of 150 to 200 kilometers (90 to 125 miles).

Also during government week, the production lines of two missile-carrying speedboats, Seraj (Lamp) and Zolfaqar (named after Imam Ali's sword) are due to be inaugurated.

The unveiling of Karar comes days after Iran took delivery of four new mini-submarines of the home-produced Ghadir class. Weighing 120 tons, the "stealth" submarines are aimed at operations in shallow waters, notably in the Gulf.

Iranian officials regularly boast about Tehran's military capabilities and the latest declarations coincide with warnings by local officials against any attack on the Islamic republic.

Meanwhile, Iran on Saturday began loading nuclear fuel in its Russian-built first nuclear power plant located in the southern port of Bushehr.

The plant, which is not targeted by U.N. sanctions, eventually aims to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

Israel denounced Iran's fueling up of its nuclear power plant as "totally unacceptable" and called for more international pressure to force Tehran to cease any uranium enrichment.

Israel, widely assumed to be the only Middle East country to have nuclear weapons, has said a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to its existence, raising concerns Israel could attack Iran's nuclear sites.

In a statement issued after the Islamic Republic celebrated the launch of the Bushehr reactor, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy said: "It is totally unacceptable that a country that so blatantly violates resolutions of the (United Nations) Security Council, decisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its commitments under the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) should enjoy the fruits of using nuclear energy."

"The international community should increase pressure on to force Iran to abide by international decisions and cease its enrichment activities and its construction of reactors," Levy said.

Iran's archfoes the United States and Israel have not ruled out a military strike against Tehran to stop its controversial uranium enrichment program.

The U.S., Israel and some other Western countries fear Iran's nuclear program is aimed at produce atomic weapons. Iran says it wants nuclear power solely for energy production.

The international community should increase pressure on to force Iran to abide by international decisions and cease its enrichment activities and its construction of reactors

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy