IRGC not fazed by ‘scrap metal’ aircraft carriers, general says

A senior Iranian military commander says the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) does not dread the giant US aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and simply views them as “pieces of scrap metal.”

“The IRGC has never been terrified of large US aircraft carriers and the thunder of missiles launched by the United States and the extra-regional enemies. These munitions, in the viewpoint of the IRGC, are nothing more than scrap metal,” the deputy commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, said on Tuesday.

The IRGC staged the Great Prophet 7 war games in the north central Iranian province of Semnan from July 2 to 4.

Domestically produced missiles, including the Shahab (Meteor) 1, Shahab 2, Shahab 3, Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf), Tondar (Lightning), Fateh (Victory), Zelzal (Earthquake), and Qiam (Uprising), were fired at mock targets during the war games.

In February, the IRGC conducted the Val Fajr military exercise in the Markazi (central) Desert, days after the Air Force wrapped up its four-day Tharallah exercise near the strategic Persian Gulf region.

Also in February, during the Hamiyan-e Velayat military exercise, the IRGC forces practiced tactical commando raids and aerial combat, launched air offensive and defensive operations, and carried out heliborne and anti-heliborne operations.

In January, the IRGC Ground Forces held the Shohaday-e Vahdat war games in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in the production of essential military hardware and defense systems.