Terrorist Attack On Abu Dhabi Demonstrates Iranian Drone Program’s Reach

(New York, N.Y.) — Monday’s attack on an oil facility in Abu Dhabi by the Iran-backed Houthis once again put the global spotlight on the threat Iran’s drone program represents. The series of drone and missile attacks against the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) were in retaliation to the U.A.E. intensifying its support for local militias opposed to the Iran-backed Houthis—officially known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God)—in Yemen. At least three civilians were killed in the attacks and six others were wounded. 

Although the extent of Iran’s direct involvement is still being ascertained, officials in the region told reporters that “the Houthis do not launch any attack on other countries with drones, [ballistic] missiles or cruise missiles without either the permission of Iran or the instruction from Iran.” Local reports suggest the Houthis’ chief negotiator may have even been visiting Tehran on the day of the attack on the U.A.E.

It is indisputable that Tehran provides the Houthis with weaponized drones, and that the U.S. and its regional allies are under increasing threat as a result. The proliferation of drones and related technologies to terrorist and militia proxies is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, too. 

Iranian proxies, most notably Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militias, have all benefitted from Iran’s technical drone know-how and possess drones either manufactured in Iran or based on Iranian models. As Iran’s own drone expertise increases, its proxies’ capabilities are likely to grow as well. 

In addition to drones, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force have transferred increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including Sayyad 2C surface-to-air missile, guided anti-ship missiles, Qiam-1 ballistic missiles, kamikaze aerial drones, landmines, Kalashnikov variant rifles, RPG-7 and RPG-7v rocket-propelled grenade launchers, machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, precision rifles, and anti-tank missiles to the Houthis. 

To read United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s The Iranian Drone Threat resource, please click here. 

To read UANI’s Houthis resource, please click here. 

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