Iran confirms Algeria wants its drones

A top Iranian official said his country has received drone orders from 22 countries including Algeria, confirming earlier reports that Algeria and the Polisario were seeking Iranian drones as Tehran uses Algeria as a hub to expand its influence in Africa.

“About 22 countries have filed formal bids to purchase Iranian-made military drones,” Iranian Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by many Iranian news outlets including Tehran Times.

The current candidate countries for the purchase of Iranian drones are Armenia, Tajikistan, Serbia, Algeria, Venezuela and other countries, he said.

The news confirms statements by so-called interior minister of the Polisario who told his supporters that the Polisario will soon use Iranian drones against the Moroccan army.

Morocco’s representative to the UN Omar Hilale had warned that Polisario’s use of Iranian drones would be a “game changer” and trigger a consequential response from the Moroccan armed forces.

Morocco had been warning since 2018 of Iranian destabilization acts in the region and the North African kingdom had severed ties with Tehran due to the involvement of its Hezbollah proxies in training and arming the Polisario militias in full sight of Algerian authorities.

Polisario officials brag about having Iranian drones at a context they together with their Algerian mentors bemoan risk of famine and malnutrition in the camps.

The cost of an Iranian drone is enough to feed 300 households for a year, offer medical care to 500 people or offer schooling for 120 pupils, said Hilale.