Iran's Shahed drone: How 'the poor man’s cruise missile’ is shaping Tehran’s retaliation

After years on the front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Iranian Shahed-136 drone is at the center of Tehran's retaliation against recent U.S. strikes.

In the aftermath of the Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran, American allies in the Persian Gulf are hearing a sound that Ukrainian soldiers have long come to dread: the foreboding hum of the Shahed-136 'kamikaze' drone. 

Originating from Iran, the Shahed has already become a fixture of modern warfare, with Tehran's strategic partner, Russia, utilizing the technology in its years-long invasion of Ukraine. 

Now, the drones — the most advanced of which is the long-ranged Shahed-136 — have become central to Iran's retaliation strategy against the U.S. and its regional allies, with thousands unleashed so far.