Iran prepares for drone exercise as tensions rise

Iran will hold drone exercises amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf. Tehran also started enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility on Monday.

Semnan province: Iranian media is reporting the country is set to hold an extensive drone exercise as tensions rise in the Persian Gulf.

State TV showed a large number of drones ready to launch from a desert in central Iran.

Iran on Monday began enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West.

Both decisions appeared aimed at increasing Tehran's leverage in the waning days in office for US President Donald Trump, whose unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal began a series of escalating incidents.

AP