Army, IRGC set to stage joint drill: Iran Commander

Commander of Iran’s Ground Forces says the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) plan to stage their largest joint military drills in the current Iranian year.

“This year the largest joint maneuver between the Army and the IRGC will be staged for the first time,” Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said on Wednesday.

Pourdastan said eight military drills will be held by different forces in various areas.

The commander added that Iran’s air forces plan to stage their specialized drill for the first time after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

In February, the IRGC conducted a military maneuver codenamed Val Fajr in Markazi Desert days after the Army’s air forces wrapped up a four-day exercise codenamed Tharallah near the strategic Persian Gulf region.

In another drill codenamed Hamiyan-e Velayat also in February, IRGC forces practiced tactical commando raid and aerial combat, launched air offensive and defensive operations and carried out heliborne as well as anti-heliborne operations.

In January, IRGC’s Ground Forces held the Shohaday-e Vahdat military drills in the eastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

Iran maintains that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and meant to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.