A top-secret Iranian drone base has been exposed, revealing the extent of Tehran's military capabilities and its covert operations in the region, according to reports from the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) and insights provided by IDF veteran Aaron Cohen and The Lawfare Project's Brooke Goldstein.
A report by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), an exiled Iranian resistance group, has provided evidence of a top-secret unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) site in the Islamic Republic of Iran, located north of Qom City in the Ganjine region. According to the report, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are trained to use "all kinds of drones" at the base, including the Mohajer series, manufactured by Qods Aviation Industry.
Employees of Qods Aviation Industry also reportedly use the site to train small groups of Iranian proxy operatives of Hezbollah, as well as members of Iranian proxy groups from Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, to use the Mohajer-4 drone platform. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), based on information from the MEK, has revealed that the site is a proving ground for Mohajer-4, Mohajer-6, and Mohajer-10 drones.
IDF Special Operations veteran Aaron Cohen and The Lawfare Project's executive director Brooke Goldstein have expressed their concerns about Iran's covert drone operations, highlighting the potential threat to regional security. Cohen, speaking on 'Hannity,' described Iran's attempts to "downplay" and "save face" to cover up its military vulnerabilities.
Experts have noted that the schematics for deadly Mohajer- and Shahed-series drones are being exported to Iranian proxies around the world. According to U.S. Army veteran and author Brett Velicovich, this allows Iran to "sow chaos and discord" while maintaining "plausible deniability." Velicovich warns that the regime wants to use these long-range drone systems to demonstrate its control over the Middle East.
Drones have played a significant role in recent escalations in the region. According to the United States Institute of Peace, "U.S. forces deployed across the Middle East were attacked more than 160 times by pro-Iranian militias" between October 2023 and February 2024. On Jan. 28, an Iranian proxy used a drone to kill three U.S. service members in Jordan.
On Apr. 13, Iran retaliated against an Apr. 1 bombing that killed seven IRGC members at the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, by firing dozens of drones, including the Shahed-136, and hundreds of missiles at Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not confirmed whether the Mohajer system was used against Israel in Iran's attack.
However, Velicovich reports that Israeli forces are facing drones in their ongoing conflict with Hezbollah on the northern border. He stressed that "Israelis have extremely strong defenses against UAVs," but acknowledged that Iranian scientists are constantly developing new technologies to overcome these defenses.
The MEK has provided documents and aerial imagery showing how the Qom UAV site has expanded in recent years. In 2020, a 30- by 40-meter hangar was added to the site, which is now 10 kilometers north of Qom City. The runway has also been enlarged twice since 2007, now reaching 1,500 meters in length.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of NCRI's Washington, D.C., office, emphasized that "Western governments must exercise firmness" in dealing with Tehran and hold it accountable for its malign activities. The MEK urges other Western states to follow suit with the U.S.' 2019 designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.
Experts warn that the U.S. government may not be fully aware of the extent of Iran's drone-building capabilities and that the effects of its covert drone operations may not be felt immediately. Velicovich expressed concern that "we won’t feel the effect tomorrow. It will be years from now," highlighting the need for increased vigilance and preparedness.
