Iran has successfully conducted its first test flight of a replicated American drone seized by government forces after it was downed over its eastern territory in December 2011.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards air wing commander Gen. Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh made the announcement on Monday and promised that a video of the test flight would be released soon.

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Tehran captured the U.S. drone RQ-170 Sentinel three years ago after its military managed to take control of its systems and forced it to land. The drone was recovered in near-good condition, Agence France Press relayed.

At the time, U.S. media alleged that the drone - which the U.S. military had reported missing in nearby Afghanistan - had been conducting reconnaissance missions over Iran's territory to spy on its nuclear program.

Washington denied the allegation and refuted that the drone had crashed from a technical glitch.

Months later in May, Iran's military released an exact replica of the U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel and vowed to carry out a test flight. Images broadcast by state-run networks at the time showed two near-identical drones.

Tehran claimed that its engineers were able to reverse-engineer the seized technology and extract valuable information that would allow the country to launch its own defense line system.

Despite this, U.S. officials have maintained the unmanned drone's security system contained safeguards that would make it unlikely anyone could retrieve valuable technology from it.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed delight at seeing the replica.

In a video broadcast by Tasnim News Agency, Khamenei called today a "bittersweet and unforgettable" one.

Tehran has long accused the West of using drones to spy on its nuclear activities.

In recent years, the country claimed to have captured a number of American drones, among of them, the ScanEagle, a Boeing-designed drone less sophisticated than the RQ-170.

Iranian officials said the replication of the ScanEagle is underway, and announced plans to put its version in service, according to Fox News.

The U.S. and other nations have long alleged that Iran is furtively pursuing a weapons development program.

Iran asserts that its nuclear program is solely focused on peaceful initiatives such as the manufacture of medical isotopes and power generation.

TagsU.S. drone, Iran, replicated drone, unmanned vehicle, RQ-170 Sentinel