President Rouhani: Iranian Armed Forces Harbinger of Security for All Regional Nations

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country’s powerful Armed Forces are a main contributor to peace and security for all the regional states. “I am very pleased to witness a highly good display of power and defense show by the surface and subsurface vessels and aircraft of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Rouhani told reporters on the deck of Iran’s home-made Jamaran destroyer in the Southern waters of the country on Wednesday following Naval parades by the various military units that had taken part in 7 days of the massive Mohammad Rasoulollah (PBUH) wargames.

“This defensive capability brings tranquility, trust and security for both the Iranian nation and the regional nations and countries,” he added.

Underlining the defensive nature of the Iranian Armed Forces, Rouhani said, “We believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran can defend its territory and region well beside the regional states and there is no need to the presence of foreign forces in this region under any pretexts.”

The Iranian Armed Forces on Wednesday wrapped up 7 days of military drills in waters South and Southeast of Iran.

Different units of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense started massive joint military drills along the country’s Southern and Southeastern coasts on Thursday.

The military exercises codenamed Mohammad Rasoulallah (PBUH) covered an area of 2.2 million square kilometers from the East of the Strait of Hormuz to the Southern parts of the Gulf of Aden.

In the last phase of the drills staged in the presence of President Rouhani, Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi and Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Wednesday, the surface and subsurface vessels of the Iranian Navy displayed their capabilities in military parades.

The Iranian Navy used a number of its latest achievements in the military industries, including smart cruise missiles, during the exercises.

The Iranian Navy vessels also successfully fired the country’s home-made Nour and Nasr cruise missiles on the sixth day of the massive Mohammad Rasoulallah (PBUH) drills on Tuesday.

The Nour cruise missiles fired by the Iranian Navy vessels hit their specified targets in the regions where the drills were being staged on Tuesday.

Nour is a well-known cruise missile with a range of over 120km used by the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in different wargames and can be launched from coasts, vessels and aircrafts against enemy vessels, oil facilities and naval positions.

Also, Nasr cruise missiles were fired from the vessels participating in the underway massive drills in the Sea of Oman and the international waters.

The Nasr smart cruise missile is a short-range missile which is capable of destroying 3,000-ton vessels and can be fired from coasts, different vessels and helicopters.

Also on Tuesday, the Iranian Navy’s AB-212 helicopters, equipped with machine-guns and rocket-launching systems, fired at specified targets and destroyed them.

It was the first time that the Navy’s anti-submarine AB-212 helicopters were used in operation.

The Helicopters were recently equipped with offensive systems by the Navy experts.

Also on the fifth day of the drills on Monday, Iran’s latest home-grown torpedo was fired by the Naval forces’ anti-submarine SH-3D helicopters.

The torpedo successfully hit and destroyed the specified sub-surface target in the waters of the Sea of Oman, Southern Iran.

According to Rear Admiral Sayyari, the torpedo, test-fired recently, was used in operation for the first time on Monday.

The torpedo was last month test-fired in Jask region, Southern Iran, and can be fired from submarines, surface vessels and helicopters.

2 anti-subsurface SH-3D helicopters which were delivered to the Navy on December 1 were equipped with the torpedoes.

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

The Iranian Navy on Sunday launched its newly-developed mine laying and sweeping system on the fourth day of the wargames.

On the fourth day of the drills, the Iranian Navy rolled mines in the Sea of Oman and the area where the exercises were being staged to prevent hypothetical enemies’ infiltration into the territorial waters.

Various flying units, surface vessels, high-speed boats, heavy Tareq-class submarines and indigenized and optimized vessels were used in the drills on Sunday.

After rolling the mines, the Iranian Naval forces defused them using minesweeping RH helicopters to provide security for the cargo ships and oil tankers and keeping the shipping lines open.

The Navy’s new integrated mine laying and sweeper system was then unveiled in a ceremony participated by Rear Admiral Sayyari.

Iran is among the few world countries with advanced minesweeping capabilities.