Iran high schools to teach drone hacking

According to militia official, students could be taught to bring down foreign drones

Published August 19, 2013 4:38PM (EDT)

     (Shutterstock)
(Shutterstock)

The presence of U.S. spy drones over Iranian airspace has been an issue of contention and diplomatic tensions in recent years. Iran claimed last year to have brought down a U.S. drone, which violated its airspace -- claims U.S. officials have rejected.

Now, according to a report from Fars -- Iran's state news service -- high school curricula will include lessons on how to hack and even bring down foreign drones. The report gave little sense that Iran's schools had the capability or technological know-how to import such lessons into the school day, but the intention gives a clear sense of Iranian officials' attitude to prying drones.

Via the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper:

Gen Ali Fazli, acting commander of the Basij militia, told the Fars news agency the new programme would be taught as part of a “Defensive Readiness” lesson in high schools from late September.

Fars News is the mouthpiece of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the military force charged with defending Iran’s national security.

The national civil defence training manual would be changed to incorporate the drone threat, which Iran claims emanates from the United States.

“This year, we will witness changes in the contents, teachers and teaching hours of the defensive preparedness lesson,” he said.
Gen Ali suggested students could be taught how to track and bring down drone aircraft by hacking their computer systems.


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Airspace Drones Fars News Agency High-school Iran