The drones could monitor “enemy movements from a considerable distance” and were capable of combat missions, he said at the delivery ceremony in Tehran broadcast on TV.

The aircraft were equipped with bombs and missiles, and they can fly at an altitude of up to 13,716m, he said, without indicating the name of the new drones.

The drones were manufactured by Iran’s military industry with the participation of local universities, he said.

Drones are a key element in Iran’s border surveillance, especially the Gulf waters around the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.

Tensions between Iran and the US have reached the highest levels in decades since the US killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on Jan 3, prompting Iran to fire missiles days later at bases in Iraq where US troops are stationed.