Following the successful staging of a large-scale naval maneuver codenamed ‘Velayat 94’ in January, the second military exercise this winter will be launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Hassan Firouzabadi on Monday.
“In order to maintain readiness and reinforce missile capabilities of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces, the IRGC will, God willing, launch a ballistic missile exercise sometime in late February or early March,” said Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi.
The commander stressed that the exercise will be staged with an aim to maintain readiness and evaluate the accuracy and power of the country’s missile program.
On Jan. 18, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan said the Islamic Republic would unveil new domestically-designed and manufactured missiles in the near future in defiance of new US sanctions against the country over its missile program.
Iran's Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that the country will continue to enhance its missile capabilities in defiance of the 'destructive' US sanctions over the Islamic Republic's missile program.
The statement noted that Iran’s missiles serve defensive and deterrent purposes and have not been designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The Army’s naval forces fired surface-to-surface Nasr and Noor missiles during Velayat 94 drills which successfully hit targets. Nasr missiles enjoy accurate impact precision, good velocity, high detection power and powerful warhead.
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