TEHRAN / WASHINGTON / DOHA — Iran’s military command has formally accused the United States and Israel of deploying a reverse-engineered copy of its Shahed-136 drone under a new designation — “Lucas” — to conduct attacks on civilian infrastructure in neighbouring countries and falsely attribute them to Tehran. The claim, while independently unverified in its false-flag specifics, comes against a backdrop of confirmed facts about the LUCAS drone’s origin and disputed incidents whose attribution remains genuinely contested.
THE LUCAS DRONE: WHAT IS INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRMED
The US made covert efforts to capture Shahed-136 drones for technical analysis, reverse-engineered them to create replicas initially for counter-drone training, and then adapted that programme into the current LUCAS drone fleet. Within five months of the programme’s launch, the Pentagon had equipped US forces in the Middle East with LUCAS drones, with their sea-launch capability tested from a warship in the Arabian Gulf. merip
The drone is manufactured by Arizona-based company SpektreWorks and is classified as a Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System. It is very similar in size to the Shahed-136, coming in at three metres long with a 2.5-metre wingspan, though significantly lighter at 81.5 kg compared to the Shahed’s 200 kg — and carries a lighter payload of 18 kg versus the Shahed’s 50 kg. Each unit costs around $35,000. Time
The Pentagon confirmed that US forces struck Iranian targets using LUCAS drones from the very opening hours of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, launched by Task Force Scorpion Strike — the US military’s first one-way-attack drone squadron. NPR
IRAN’S ACCUSATION
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari accused the US and Israel of orchestrating what he called a “diabolical plot,” claiming they copied Iran’s Shahed-136 drone design and repurposed it as a modified “Lucas” drone to falsely blame Tehran for drone attacks across the region. Al Jazeera
According to the statement, the alleged objective is to create distrust toward Iran, accuse the Islamic Republic of involvement in attacks it did not carry out, and provoke division between Iran and its neighbouring states — thereby undermining what Tehran describes as the “defensive, lawful, and legitimate operations” of its armed forces. The Washington Post
Iran’s Armed Forces specifically cited recent strikes in Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq as “suspicious attacks” it says were wrongly blamed on Tehran, and denied all involvement in drone strikes on ports in Oman.
WHAT PARTIAL EVIDENCE EXISTS
A noteworthy incident occurred on 1–2 March 2026, when a Shahed-type drone struck RAF Akrotiri, a British airbase in Cyprus that supports Western operations across the Middle East. British and Cypriot authorities attributed the drone to Hezbollah operating from Lebanon — not directly from Iran. Iran also disavowed direct responsibility, though empirical evidence for deliberate orchestration by a third party has not surfaced. WANA
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has separately accused Israel of launching drone attacks in Azerbaijan that were wrongly attributed to Tehran, describing them as deliberate attempts to damage Iran’s relations with its neighbours. Al Jazeera
Iranian authorities, including Foreign Ministry officials and IRGC representatives, have issued repeated warnings that Israel, possibly assisted by the United States, may orchestrate attacks on energy infrastructure in Gulf Cooperation Council countries and subsequently attribute them to Iran. As of the time of reporting, no independent investigation has confirmed or refuted this claim in specific incidents. WANA
WHAT THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT SUPPORT
The broader documentary record complicates Iran’s account. The governments of the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE jointly condemned what they described as Iran’s “indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories across the region,” including strikes that “targeted sovereign territory, endangered civilian populations, and damaged civilian infrastructure.” ANI News
Independent tracking by the Critical Threats Project recorded that on March 20 alone, the UAE intercepted four Iranian missiles and 26 drones, Kuwait intercepted 15 of 25 Iranian drones with two hitting its national oil company, and Saudi Arabia intercepted 38 Iranian drones. Wionews
Analysis by ACLED confirms that while Iranian officials claimed strikes were aimed exclusively at US military installations, the escalation extended beyond US bases, hitting energy infrastructure, civilian airports, and emblematic luxury districts — affecting all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Pravda USA
THE INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT
The concept of false-flag operations is a recognised tactic in security studies and international relations. In the present conflict, allegations of false-flag activity have emerged from multiple directions. However, substantive evidence for specific instances has not yet emerged from independent investigations. WANA
ANN will continue to report verified developments as they become available.
— ANN International Desk | Compiled from Al Jazeera, Euronews, The Register, Military Times, The Conversation (RUSI), Middle East Monitor, ACLED, Critical Threats Project, US State Department, and Wikipedia.
