The Iranian Defense Ministry unveiled a new drone that resembles the American MQ-9 Reaper armed drone, claiming that the aircraft can stay in the air for 24 hours and has a range to reach the country's arch-enemy, Israel.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) published a picture today, Tuesday, of the unmanned aircraft named Mohajer-10, displayed at a conference marking Defense Industry Day, with what appears to be smoke billowing underneath it.

"immigrant" means "مهاجر" in Persian, which is a line of drones manufactured by the Islamic Republic since 1985.

Iran stated that the drone is capable of flying at an altitude of up to 24,000 feet at a speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) and can carry a bomb payload of up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds). It also added that the drone can carry electronic surveillance equipment and a camera.

The Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a follower of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also observed the drone, stating in remarks broadcast by state television, "Today, we can present Iran powerfully as an advanced technology state to the world."

He reiterated Iran's stance on friendly relations with "all countries of the world," adding that the Iranian armed forces will sever any hand that extends in an attempt to invade Iran, according to state television.

In the past, Iran has seized American drones or parts of them, but there is no evidence that it has captured a Reaper drone produced by General Atomics, which is used by the U.S. Air Force and allied American nations as a "hunter-killer" drone capable of operating at high altitudes for long hours and tracking targets before attacking.

North Korea displayed drones resembling the "Reaper" model in July, which may have been designed using publicly available information about the aircraft.

In December 2011, Iran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel drone that was used by the CIA to monitor Iranian nuclear sites after it entered Iranian airspace from neighboring Afghanistan, and later, Iran reverse-engineered the drone to create its own versions.

In 2019, Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone of the RQ-4A Global Hawk model in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers.

The Reaper drone also holds special significance for Iran, as it was reported that one conducted a strike in 2020 in Baghdad that killed Qassem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian general in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.