Iran flexes military strength as army and IRGC begin joint manuevers

The Iranian Armed Forces and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) began the “Wilayat 99” joint maneuvers on Wednesday in the Semnan Province of the Islamic Republic.

According to the Iranian Fars Agency , “the maneuvers are taking place in an area covering more than half of the country with the participation of the army’s air defense units and the Revolutionary Guards’ air and space force, during which they will use missiles, radar, reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems, in addition to communications and monitoring systems.”

“It will be simulated to counter various low, medium and high-range air threats, and it is planned to use the new generation of locally manufactured equipment and weapons, and to apply new tactical methods in the field of air defense and monitoring.”

Brigadier General Ghadir Rahimzadeh, commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense units, said that the maneuvers will be similar to real military operations and will be in response to what he described as the threats of the enemies, indicating that the exercises will embody the unity and harmony of the joint forces in the army and the Revolutionary Guard.

At the end of last September, the Iranian army conducted military maneuvers, in conjunction with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in the city of Bandar Abbas, which is near the Strait of Hormuz, where a new warhead installed on long-range “Khorramshahr” missiles was presented.

Wednesday’s drills also mark the first time since the U.N. arms embargo expired that Iran has conducted military maneuvers.