Iran potentially repositioned strike drones and other military assets under the cover of joint drills with Russia in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, a defense expert has claimed.
In what he described as a “calculated escalation” amid rising tensions with the U.S., Cameron Chell suggested the Russian-led exercises could have provided cover for Iranian forces to move their drones into operational positions.
Chell, of defense firm Draganfly, told Fox News Digital that the possible repositioning followed reports of sightings of U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones with precision strike capabilities in the region.
“The Russian drills — taking place along the coastline — would allow Iranian forces to possibly reposition its forces under the veil of doing military exercises,” Chell said.
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The combined exercises, reported by The Associated Press, also came as President Donald Trump pressed Iran further to make a deal to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions following indirect talks in Geneva.
“We’re going to make a deal, or we’re going to get a deal one way or the other,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, signaling determination to secure an agreement.
Meanwhile, on Feb. 18, U.S. Central Command posted photos showing F/A-18 Super Hornets landing on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
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Flight-tracking data in recent days also showed U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones operating near Iran’s coastline.
One Triton was observed Feb. 14 and another on Feb. 18, conducting high-altitude maritime intelligence missions over the Gulf.
Chell noted the MQ Triton surveillance drone operating near Iran’s coastline.
He added these drones could likely launch from land bases in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Qatar and provide real-time situational awareness to naval commanders.
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Chell also added the MQ-9 Reaper, capable of precision strikes – and operates between 25,000 and 40,000 feet and is difficult for Iran to counter.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, USS Gerald R. Ford, the second aircraft carrier Trump has sent to the Middle East, and its accompanying ships are heading across the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea.
NATO country and U.S. ally Poland also warned its citizens Thursday to immediately flee Iran, with its prime minister saying the “possibility of a conflict is very real.”
