Iran has strongly protested and questioned its neighbouring Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after shooting down a China-made Wing Loong II drone over its skies on Thursday (April 2, 2026).
The reason for Iran’s protest: Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are known to have the reconnaissance and precision strike Wing Loong II drones in their arsenal.
The development came as the Gulf War entered its sixth week, after the US-Israel airstrikes on Iran on February 28 resulted in military retaliation, including attacks on cargo ships transiting the Tehran-controlled Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it had shot down the Wing Loong II over its Shiraz city. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei posted photos of the drone wreckage on social media.
Baqaei said the drone wreckage was “evidence of direct participation and active complicity” of its neighbouring nations in the “crime of aggression and war crimes committed by the United States and Israel on Iran.”
“[Clarification] is needed by either of the TWO STATES of the region that are the users of this drone!” Baqaei said, captioning the photos.
The drone debris images were initially circulated by Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency, which claimed it was an American MQ-9 Reaper.
Later, the drone debris was identified as Wing Loong II, which is similar in size and appearance to the MQ-9 Reaper.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE is part of the US-Israel military operations against Iran under the American ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
However, both of Iran’s neighbours host American military bases inside their territory, and these facilities have come under direct Iranian missile and drone attacks since the war began.
The Iranian attacks on American military bases in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have resulted in the White House putting pressure on these nations to join the war against Tehran.
If the involvement of Saudi Arabia or the UAE in the Wing Loong II drone incident is confirmed, this would signal a significant ramp-up in the military operations against Iran, after the US military bases in their territory came under Tehran’s missile and drone attacks in recent weeks.
The Wing Loong II drones are produced by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, one of the most successful Chinese military drone exporters.
The Chinese drones can carry a range of missiles, precision-guided bombs, and rockets, with a total payload of 480 kg, or 1,060 lbs. These drones can cover a range of 1,500 km, or 930 miles, putting several Iranian cities and towns within their striking distance.
The Chinese drones come cheaper than the American ones and are hence considered a viable alternative by countries that do not want to be attached to the US political strings.
Wing Loong II is reported to be priced at $4.6 million-a-piece, in comparison to the $30 million-a-piece American MQ-9 Reaper.
On Wednesday (April 1, 2026), American news platforms reported that the US had lost 16 MQ-9 Reapers in its present war on Iran.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have previously faced accusations of providing their Wing Loong II drones to Yemen and Sudan, respectively. Iran-funded Houthis have claimed that they shot down the Wing Loong II drones in Yemen recently.