Iran foils drone attack on defence ministry complex in Isfahan

The Amir Al Momenin complex in Isfahan was the target of the attack

An Iranian army infantry drill in Isfahan province, Iran. AP

Iran foiled a drone attack on a Ministry of Defence complex in the city of Isfahan overnight, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Wednesday.

“The Ministry of Defence’s Amir Al Momenin complex in Isfahan was the target of the attack by a small drone, which was foiled by defence systems,” Tasnim said.

It said the attempt did not cause any damage.

Isfahan's deputy governor Mohammedreza Janashari later said there was "no security incident" in comments carried by state outlet Irna.

The military and police "are ready to deal with any threat, as always", he added.

The incident comes three days after the Iranian navy said it warned off a US reconnaissance plane near the Gulf of Oman.

"After the warning, the plane was prevented from entering the country's skies without authorisation," Tasnim said, identifying the plane as a US Navy EP-3E.

While the report said the aircraft had crossed into Iranian airspace, it also said that the plane had not entered Iranian skies and had left after the warning.

In late January, Iran blamed Israel for a drone attack in Isfahan that damaged a weapons depot. That attack targeted a defence ministry "workshop complex" in Isfahan, home to the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

It said the attack was carried out by a "foreign trained" Kurdish group based in neighbouring Iraq.

Isfahan, 350km south of Tehran, is home to both a large airbase built for Iran's fleet of American-made F-14 fighter jets and its Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Centre.

Tehran often accuses Israel of attacks in Iran and on Iran-linked weapons stores and facilities in Syria, as well as stoking unrest such as the nationwide protests that have rocked Iran since September.

It accused Israel of a 2022 drone attack on a military drone storage plant in the western city of Kermanshah.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also attacked what it called Israeli intelligence bases in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

Israel has admitted launching strikes on Iran-linked sites in Syria and held joint military drills with the US to "send a message to Tehran".

IRGC Deputy Commander Sardar Naqdi hit out at Israel on Wednesday over suspected Israeli strikes that killed two IRGC members near Damascus last week.

Speaking at the funeral of Milad Heydari, the commander said Iran warned Israel to prepare for a "strong and decisive response".