Iranian Revolution Guards Corps conducts a five-day military exercise

Middle East, News December 22, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) conducted a large-scale military exercise in southern Bushehr province and parts of the Persian Gulf on December 20, according to state media reports.

Iranian forces begin five-day military drills, codenamed “the Great Prophet 17,” amid increased tensions over the country’s nuclear program.

According to reports, the five-day exercise will involve Iran’s IRGC aerospace division, ground troops, and naval forces. The maritime forces will also conduct exercises in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which is the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint.

Iranian state media reported that a series of weapons and military systems that have been recently delivered to the IRGC will be put into use during the drills.

The IRGC’s deputy chief of operations and spokesman for the drill, Abbas Nilforoushan said “The military exercise is meant to increase the preparedness of the IRGC combat units… The military drills carry the message of defending and safeguarding the national security.”

The five-day exercise would involve IRGC units such as the aerospace force and the cyber-electronic division, Iranian official Nilforoushan was quoted as saying by the state media.

On December 21, the Iranian Paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps also test-fired ballistic and cruise missiles during a military exercise in the south of the country. Although no details were released about the missiles’ type and range, the Iranian Tasnim news agency stated that five cruise missiles and an unspecified number of drones successfully hit their targets.

*^{Iranian missile being fired during a military exercise (Image Credit: AlarabiaNews)}*

IRGC chief General Hossein Salami said, “The use of ballistic missiles by the Revolutionary Guards’ navy is a new concept … and they hit their targets with 100% precision.”

Earlier Iranian Guards have stated that the country has cruise missiles with ranges of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), as well as missiles with the range up to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), which could be used to hit targets in Israel and the U.S. strategic assets in the region.

Iran’s IRGC Commander Gholam Ali Rashid warned the United States and Israel that any threat or mischief against Iran’s nuclear facilities would have serious consequences, amid Israel’s threat to attack Iran’s nuclear program during multiple rounds of nuclear negotiations.

“If such threats are implemented, the Islamic Republic’s armed forces will immediately and decisively attack all centers, bases, routes, and spaces used to enable the violation, and against the origins of the violation, based on its trained operational plans,” Ali Rashid said.

Iranian military commander added that without U.S. approval, any potential Israeli attack would not be impossible. “Any threat to Iran’s nuclear and military bases by the Zionist regime is not possible without the green light support of the United States,” he said.

The exercise was held days after the resumption of negotiations on a nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in Vienna. Although no agreement was reached, the talks ended with some modest gains.

Israel firmly opposes efforts to restore the 2015 agreement, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program and continues to threaten direct military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.