TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has fired long-range ballistic missiles capable of destroying hostile vessels during a war game in southern Iran.

According to the spokesman of Payambar-e Azam (The Great Prophet) 14 war game, the military exercise was staged in order to show the IRGC’s power in fighting hybrid warfare and network-oriented combats proportional to the IRGC’s offense doctrine.

Brigadier General Abbas Nilforushan said that the forces attending the drills make maximum use of telecommunication and optical devices as well as manned and unmanned equipment to exercise tactics for biological warfare, Tasnim reported.

Anti-ballistic and anti-cruise missile defense operations were carried out in the war game, he added.

The general also said the IRGC forces have used a series of “surprising equipment and weapons” in the drills, such as long-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting the intruding naval targets at a far distance.

The military exercise has been held in Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan, western parts of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf.

Ground, aerial, naval and space operations were carried out during the joint exercise, which involved the IRGC Navy and the IRGC Aerospace Force.

Meanwhile, the war game was announced to be monitored for the first time by the Noor-1 Satellite.

The IRGC successfully put Noor into orbit on April 22. The Iranian satellite was launched with the three-stage satellite carrier Qassed (messenger) from a launch pad in Dasht-e Kavir, a large desert in central Iran.

Enemies to pay price of their misdeeds, warns general

Meanwhile, on Tuesday a senior IRGC general warned enemies that they will pay the price of their misdeeds toward the Iranian nation.

“Those seeking to show Iran as an unstable country, while the country is making all-out efforts to contain the coronavirus as well as the U.S. bullying, will definitely pay heavy prices for their actions,” Commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid said on the sidelines of the military exercise.

“The occupation and corrupt governments that have tasted the bitterness of the power of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in response to their threats and bullying must pay further for their arrogant and threatening behavior toward the noble Iranian nation,” he asserted.

Iran’s Armed Forces hold routine military exercises throughout the year.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Back in February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities.

MH/PA