Iranian Lawmakers Praise IRGC for Successful Use of Hi-Tech Weapons in Recent Drills

Iranian legislators in a statement on Sunday lauded the IRGC for its massive wargames, codenamed Payambar-e Azam (The Great Prophet) 9, in the country’s Southern waters earlier this week, saying the hi-tech weapons and high-precision missiles used in the drills had a crucial message for the enemies.
“Using the hi-tech weapons and complicated and high-precision missiles in these military drills was a clear message to the world that sanctions” can never prevent Iranians’ access to the most advanced and state-of-the-art weapons, the statement said.
The Iranian parliamentarians thanked the IRGC and its commanders for staging the massive wargames, and felicitated Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei over the successful drills.

The statement came after the IRGC Navy ended the massive wargames in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in the Southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Friday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that the IRGC’s exercises ended after three days in Southern Iran after testing a strategic weapon.

“This new weapon plays a determining role in increasing Iran’s naval power to confront the threats, specially by the US, against the Islamic Revolution,” he said.

Different IRGC Navy vessels were used in the exercises that started in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

On the first day of the drills, a mock aircraft carrier was destroyed by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps missiles.

The model was built in real size and came under attack and was destroyed by missiles and rockets fired from tens of IRGC speedboats.

Also a number of the IRGC cruise and two ballistic missiles were fired at the mock US aircraft carrier.

Also during the wargames, a mobile naval target was destroyed by Fateh 110 and Zelzal missiles on a deserted island 270km away from the wargames zone.

The IRGC also fired its high precision capability missiles at a carrier during the Payambar-e Azam 9 wargames.

During the first moments of the second stage of the drills, enemy drones were also hit and destroyed by Misaq shoulder-launched missiles and artilleries mounted on 100 IRGC’s speedboats.

Also, tens of IRGC vessels conducted high-speed mine-laying operations in a short period of time to get ready for critical situations in times of possible threats.

Fadavi described Iran’s “mine-laying” capability as “the most important concern of the Americans”, and said, “We have the most advanced sea mines which cannot be imagined by the Americans.”

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Iranian officials have always stressed that the country’s military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.

Iran’s naval power has even been acknowledged by foes. In a Sep. 11, 2008 report, the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy said that in the two decades since the Iraqi imposed war on Iran, the Islamic Republic has excelled in naval capabilities and is able to wage unique asymmetric warfare against larger naval forces.

According to the report, Iran’s Navy has been transformed into a highly motivated, well-equipped, and well-financed force and is effectively in control of the world’s oil lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz.

Since November 2008, the Iranian Navy has also conducted anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against pirates.