Iran's Military Pivot: Neglecting Air-Defence for Low-Cost Drone Dominance

• Iran shifts military strategy, prioritizing low-cost drone production over traditional air-defence systems.
• Years of underinvestment leave Iran's skies vulnerable to Israeli and American strikes.
• Shahed attack drones, costing $20,000, are central to Iran's offensive pivot, battle-tested in Ukraine and Yemen.
• Drones deplete costly interceptors, forcing adversaries to exhaust expensive air-defence systems.
• Iran diversifies drone exports to Russia, Venezuela, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Ethiopia, moving beyond traditional buyers.