Iran wraps up missile drill

The Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) concluded the three-day missile drill on Wednesday with Iranian military officials warning against any military aggression on the country.

On the third and last day of the missile drill, the IRGC fired the indigenous "Persian Gulf" rockets at mock sea targets, Press TV reported.

IRGC`s aerospace forces also bombarded designated targets on Wednesday by jet fighters as well as pilotless aerial drones, said the report without further details.

The IRGC on Tuesday test-fired a diversity of missiles and tested its unmanned aerial vehicle bombers during a drill.

Earlier, the IRGC`s aerospace division commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, told reporters that, in the drill dubbed "Great Prophet 7," more than 100 hypothesized spots in the central desert would be targeted by various kinds of missiles.

Some of the IRGC`s missiles could even reach 2,000 km, but in the maneuver, only the ones with ranges of 300, 500, 800 and 1,300 km were tested, said Hajizadeh as quoted by Xinhua.

Hajizadeh said Wednesday that Iran`s missiles can hit the U.S. military bases in the regional countries, Press TV reported.

He said that all the U.S. bases in the region are within the reach of Iran`s missiles and Iranian missiles could also easily reach Israel.

Meanwhile, the commander made a reference to Iran`s launch of ballistic missiles during the three-day drill and said all the missiles "successfully" hit a designated target that resembled the air bases of foreign countries in the region, according to the report.

Hajizadeh said that the maneuvers were different from the previous ones as all missiles used in the recent exercise were fired at a single target from different locations.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iran`s Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Iran will give firm response to any military attack against the country, Press TV reported.

"Those who make useless remarks about threatening Iran and have ill intentions toward this country should be ready for a crushing response (from Iran)," Vahidi told reporters.

He said that the maneuver not only manifests the prowess and capabilities of Iran`s Armed Forces, but also shows that the forces are fully aware of the vulnerabilities and weak points of those who resort to useless threats against Iran.

Stressing Iran`s crucial role in providing security for the region, the commander said that the Islamic republic "will not allow anyone to act against its interests in the region."

In the meantime, Iranian lawmaker Mansour Haqiqatpour said Wednesday that the presence of Western warships in the Persian Gulf is detrimental to regional security, said Press TV.

"Global powers have announced that by dispatching warships, they aim to establish security in the Persian Gulf, but now Muslim countries are able to do this by expanding local and regional cooperation and they do not need their (West`s) military presence, " said Haqiqatpour.

The lawmaker, a member of Iran`s Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, added that Iran closely monitors the West`s military bases in the Persian Gulf littoral states and the "slightest mistake will cause them and their regional allies regret."

"The IRGC and the Iranian Army`s missiles can target and destroy any threatening target in the region. Therefore, if hegemonic countries do anything against the security of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman, they will definitely incur losses," he was quoted as saying.

Referring to the IRGC`s missile exercise, Haqiqatpour said the drill is sending a message to transregional powers in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman to avoid testing Iran`s defensive capabilities because they will be given a crushing response.

Source: ANTARA