IRGC Shows Muscles by Holding Massive Drills Off Hormuz Strait

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is conducting large-scale aerial and naval drills off the strategic Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf, with the country’s first domestic multi-purpose satellite monitoring the process.

According to the IRGC’s Sepah News, the final phase of the exercises, codenamed Payambar-e A’zam (The Great Prophet) 14, kicked off on Tuesday across land, air and sea in the general area of Hormozgan Province, west of the Hormuz Strait and in the Persian Gulf.

Several units from IRGC’s Navy and Aerospace Division are taking part in the maneuvers, which feature missiles, vessels, drones, and radars, and are designed to practice both offensive and defensive missions.

The IRGC forces are slated to conduct missile, drone and mine-planting operations against mock enemy targets during the drills. They are also scheduled to practice tactics to cut off the connection lines of enemy vessels.

Meanwhile, combat helicopters will target enemy positions with coast-to-sea missiles.

Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, the maneuvers’ spokesman, said during the exercises, “the interception of ballistic and cruise missiles has been drilled, while surprising weapons and hardware — including long-range ballistic missiles capable of striking intruding vessels floating at a distance — are being used.”

For the first time, the drills are being monitored by Iran’s Nour-1 (Light-1) Satellite, which was put into orbit on April 22.

Nour-1 is the country’s first multi-purpose satellite with application in the defense industry, among other areas.

The launch operation was carried out by the IRGC’s Aerospace Division, which said the country’s aerospace program was expected to gather pace following the launch.

Meanwhile Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami said the force improves its weaponry considering the strengths and weaknesses of the enemies.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of an IRGC military exercise, titled as the Great Prophet-14 military drill, in Strait of Hormuz.

“Our policies for safeguarding the interests of the Iranian nation is defensive meaning that we will not attack any country,” he said noting that however, the forces are offensive in their operations and tactics.

“Our defense doctrine relies on the manufacturing indigenous equipment. In each military exercise, the quality of the equipment is upgraded and the new equipment is tested and used in the real battlefield,” he said.

The IRGC commander noted that the drill has been started to ensure the body’s capability in protecting the benefits of the Iranian nation.

He added that the enemies’ naval flotilla will be invaded if they pose a threat against Iran.

As reported, ‘surprising weapons’ such long-range ballistic missiles have been launched during the named military drill in the south of Iran, which is jointly being carried out by IRGC Navy and Aerospace.

The military exercise is based upon plans for fighting hybrid warfare and network-oriented combats proportional to the IRGC’s offense doctrine.

IRGC Navy’s missile, vessel, and drones units and IRGC Aerospace’s missile, drone, were radar units conducted operations.

Waging attacks against virtual enemy using missiles, ships, and drones, laying defensive mines, cutting the communication between virtual enemy’s ships, launching rockets from helicopters, and launching coast-to-sea missiles were among agenda of this stage of the drill.