Iran has fired ballistic and cruise missiles as part of a five-day military drill, which extends across the country and into the Persian Gulf. State media also hailed the pinpoint accuracy of bomb-dropping drones.
On Tuesday, Iranian state media reported on the second day of the Payambar-e Azam 17 (meaning The Great Prophet) military drills. The five-day exercise is taking place along the shores of the Persian Gulf, in the Strait of Hormuz, and in the provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan, and involve ground, naval, and air force units from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC).
According to Tasnim News, the IRGC Aerospace Force flew assault drones over the southern coasts on Tuesday and dropped bombs on pre-determined targets, with pinpoint accuracy. The military, hailing its own achievement, told state TV that it now has drones that can strike two targets at the same time.
Troops also practiced aerial support operations with the use of rotary assets, while naval units engaged in simulated war games against hostile drone assaults.
Meanwhile, IRGC units fired ballistic and cruise missiles over the Persian Gulf, according to state TV. “The use of ballistic missiles by the Revolutionary Guards’ navy is a new concept ... and they hit their targets with 100% precision,” Guards chief General Hossein Salami told the broadcaster.
Iran’s ballistic missiles have a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), according to its military, meaning they’re capable of reaching US bases in the region, as well as targets in Israel. Footage from Iranian state TV appears to show the full scale of the drills.
On Monday, Iran kicked off the exercises by undertaking an air-defense drill at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the early hours of the morning.
Tehran also issued a warning to arch-nemesis Israel, which Iran blames for two attacks on the Natanz nuclear facility, and another attack on a centrifuge workshop in Karaj.
“If Israel carries out attacks against Iran, our armed forces will immediately attack all centers, bases, routes, and spaces used to carry out the aggression,” Major General Gholamali Rashid said, promising a “crushing” response, according to Nournews.