Iran will be showcasing special forces, helicopters and tanks after the U.S. once again flew the B-52 bombers across the Middle East.
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s army has carried out another drill on the country’s southern coasts days after the United States bombed B-52-capable nuclei over the Middle East.
In the fifth demonstration of a military force in two weeks, the army’s ground forces held land, air and sea war games on the Makran coast and the Oman Sea.
A state broadcaster was broadcasting an amazing film of dozens of Iranian soldiers marching out of planes while images released by the army showed attack helicopters, tanks and missiles in combat, and hundreds of employees ready to use them.
The military also said it is using rapid response forces to test “various indigenous creative strategies” and is using multiplication to complete predefined scenarios.
“Today, the army’s ground forces have achieved a great deal of operational capability in the use of drones and missiles,” said Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras, deputy commander of the Iranian army.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the B-52 mission [Iran army handout]
“The power and strength of the army’s ground forces in responding to threats will be demonstrated in this exercise.”
The drill came days after the U.S. flew the B-52 bombers over the region, the fifth time in the past two months.
The outgoing Donald Trump administration, which has pursued a “maximum pressure” policy coupled with tough economic sanctions on Iran, first flew the bombers before the start of the 3rd anniversary. January from the assassination of Iran’s chief general, Qassem Soleimani.
Soleimani was killed in a Trump-ordered drone strike in Baghdad last year.
In response to the increased U.S. military presence, Iran’s army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have organized several military demonstrations in the new year.
The army drilled for locally made drones and fired torpedoes from locally-made submarines, while the IRGC revealed a large missile base underneath. ground and tested long-range missiles that were said to take out enemy ships and aircraft carriers more than 1,800km (1,118 miles) away.
In a speech on Tuesday, IRGC chief executive Hossein Salami said the war games bring ‘calm and confidence’ to Iran’s people [Iran army handout]
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the B-52 mission, saying the U.S. should spend its billions of arms “on the health of taxpayers” if it meant intimidating Iran.
“Although we have not started a war in over 200 years, we are not shy about crushing attacks,” he said.
In a speech on Tuesday, IRGC chief executive Hossein Salami said the war games bring “calm and confidence” to Iran’s people and show that Iran will not sweat in self-defense.
“Our hands are inspired in the representation of the great nation of Iran,” he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who will replace Trump on Wednesday, has vowed to ease tensions with Tehran by renewing the 2015 nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew unilaterally in 2018.
Biden, however, has indicated that Washington is looking for broader talks regarding Iran’s missile program and its regional impact, something Iran has denied.
The military said it was using rapid response forces to test “a mix of indigenous creative inventions”. [Iran army handout]