Israel has passed on to the US comprehensive intelligence on the heads of the Iranian drone program, including Iran's use of armed drones over the past year against various targets in the Persian Gulf, Israeli media reported.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran on Friday, targeting two companies and four individuals linked to the production and use of military drones by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
According to the U.S. Treasury, the drones are used by terror groups supported by Iran, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Houthis in Yemen.
One of the individuals sanctioned is Saeed Ara Jani, head of the UAV Unit in the Revolutionary Guard’s air force, who led an attack on the Israeli-owned tanker Mercer Street, in the Bay of Oman last July, in which two crew members were killed.
Iran called on Friday evening the latest US sanctions against its entities as "completely contradictory behaviour".
Khatibzadeh said that the US pressure will not inflict "the slightest damage" on the Iranian government's determination to defend the country.
