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How Iran is using cheap drones to cause chaos across the Middle East

2026-03-06 18:10:20Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

President Donald Trump said Iran's missiles and missile industry would be "totally destroyed" when the US launched air strikes on the country on Saturday, but he did not mention its drones.

Six days later, Iran has launched more than 2,000 low-cost drones at targets across the Middle East in an attempt to overwhelm defenses and cause chaos in the region, writes the BBC .

Shahed “kamikaze” drones carry explosives that detonate on impact and can cause significant damage. The deadliest attack on US forces to date was by a drone that struck a base in Kuwait, killing six US troops.

Most of the attacks have been on US allies in the Persian Gulf, all of which host US military personnel and equipment to some extent.

But they have also targeted embassies, key energy infrastructure, commercial airports and luxury hotels.

Several attacks have occurred in densely populated cities, provoking fear in the streets and in the governments of Gulf states. Some experts say this may be part of an Iranian strategy to "impose terror" and put pressure on the US to end the conflict as soon as possible.

Drone attacks on the region's energy sector have been particularly impactful. Saudi Arabia's largest oil refinery at Ras Tanura on the Gulf coast halted production after a fire broke out caused by debris from a captured drone.

In Qatar, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal was also shut down after the site was targeted by Iranian drones.

Drones are causing significant damage across the region given their simple design and relative cheapness to manufacture. The long-range Shahed 136 drone, which is manufactured in Iran, is estimated to cost between $20,000 and $50,000.

The Shahed has been used extensively by Russia in the Ukraine war to target densely populated cities and power plants with devastating effect. Iran has exported Shaheds to its ally in recent years, and Russia is now also producing its own variants based on the Iranian model.

Mick Mulroy, a former US Marine, CIA paramilitary officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, told the BBC that drones "have proven to be very effective" in previous conflicts - so much so that the US has developed its own version.

Known as Lucas, the American drone was used in combat for the first time in recent days. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US forces in the Middle East, said they had taken the Iranian design “which made them better and fired it immediately against Iran”.

The US has not said how many drones it has deployed, but data is being released on how many Iran is launching. The United Arab Emirates says it has shot down more than 1,000 Iranian drones so far, with only 71 of them getting past the country's defenses. But each interception comes at a price.

Shahed drones can be shot down in a number of ways, including using special GPS signal jamming devices and laser weapons systems, but many are currently being shot out of the sky by missiles launched from fighter jets or expensive surface-to-air missile systems.


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