IRGC kicks off new missile drill in central Iran

The IRGC launched its latest missile exercise, codenamed The Great Prophet 7 in Semnan Province on Monday, July 02, 2012. (File photo)

Mon Jul 2, 2012 7:22AM GMT

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Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has begun its latest missile exercise, named "The Great Prophet 7" in central Iran.

The drill is aimed at testing Iran's latest surface-to-surface missile achievements and will run for three days in the central Iranian province of Semnan.

Various long, medium and short-range missiles will target “simulations of the transregional forces’ airbases” in the northern Semnan desert, Commander of Iran's IRGC Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said on Sunday.

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

In February, the IRGC conducted a military exercise named Val Fajr in the Markazi (central) Desert days after the Army’s air forces wrapped up the four-day drill, named Tharallah, near the strategic Persian Gulf region.

Also in February, during the Hamiyan-e Velayat drill, the IRGC forces practiced tactical commando raid 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 military drill in the eastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

The country has repeatedly made clear that its military might is merely based on the state's defense doctrine of deterrence, and that it poses no threat to other countries.

MYA/GHN/HJL