Iran drills carry message of peace: Defense minister

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the military maneuvers by the Islamic Republic carry a message of peace and security for the region.

“The message of domestic drills is peace, friendship and security,” Brigadier General Dehqan said on Thursday.

“The message of the military maneuvers is that Islamic Iran is prepared to defend itself and the security of the region, that it has no hostility toward its neighboring countries, and that under no circumstances does it tolerate the presence of foreigners in the region,” the Iranian defense minister added.

The remarks come as a military drill by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is underway in the country’s south. The IRGC has been conducting the military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf since Wednesday.

Brigadier General Dehqan commended Iran’s military might and said, “Today, Islamic Iran possesses such power and authority that it can provide and guarantee security for the region.”

The Iranian defense minister said Iran’s power has risen to such an extent that the US and other Western countries have acknowledged it.

“The countries in the region should insure their security within the framework of a regional coalition and not accept the presence of foreigners and the cause of insecurity,” he said.

Dehqan also said that if the West carries out its threats of military action against Iran, a “proper response” would be given by the Islamic Republic.

The IRGC drill

On Thursday, the second day of the ongoing IRGC drill, the ground units of the IRGC conducted special exercises in the south and southwestern parts of the Strait of Hormuz. The drills were conducted within the framework of six operations, including stationary defense, mobile defense, ambush, and anti-heliborne defense.

Among the unique features of the second day of the drills were the non-detectability of all positions and the impossibility of identifying them by reconnaissance aircraft.

During the first day of the military drill on Wednesday, various types of ballistic and sea-launched cruise missiles were fired, and nearly 400 rounds of 107-milimeter rockets struck a replica of a US aircraft carrier.

A total of 20 new missiles, including underwater ones with a speed of 100 meters per second, were test-fired during the military exercises.

The drill also featured other military equipment, including speedboats equipped with naval radars, electronic communications systems, cruise missiles with a range of 25 kilometers, anti-ship medium-range missiles, medium- and large-caliber torpedoes, sea mines, heavy machine guns, rocket-launchers and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.

Iran has conducted several drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

IA/HJL/MHB

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