Expert's views on message of IRGC's military drill in PG

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday launched a large-scale military exercise in southern Iran, which was the largest of its kind in the region.

The war game, codenamed Payambar-e Azam 14 (The Great Prophet 14), was conducted in the southern province of Hormozgan, western parts of the Strait of Hormuz.

In the drills, the IRGC's Navy and Aerospace Forces carry out joint operations in which vessels, drones, missile and radar units were involved.

The drills were monitored by Iran’s Nour-1 (Light-1) satellite, a multi-purpose Iranian domestically developed satellite that was successfully launched into space on April 22.

IRGC launched its first missile from underground, which were stored and fired from underneath the earth’s surface.

The successful launch of ballistic missiles against the hypothetical enemies was among the measures of the drill. The launch of such missiles, which were camouflaged and fired from the depths of the ground, could pose serious challenges to the enemy intelligence agencies in the event of a serious challenge.

Moreover, IRGC drones attacked the enemy's simulated aircraft carrier and targeted the vessel’s bridge.

The servicemen attending the war game exercised offensive operations using missiles, drones and vessels, offensive mine-laying operations and tactics to cut off the naval connections of the hypothetical enemy, missile combat operations using helicopters, and launch of coast-to-sea missiles.

Issuing a statement, IRGC said that the message of the Payambar-e Azam 14 exercise to friendly and neighboring countries was love, peace, and friendship along with the authority and strength of the Revolutionary Guards and collective security for the countries of the Persian Gulf region.

Stating that Iran has never started a war, IRGC said that it would give a decisive and crushing response to any aggression against the country's territorial integrity, security, and national interests.

Some experts believe that the IRGC's military exercise and ballistic missiles that were launched from underground platforms was a serious warning to Iran's enemies, including the United States.

In this regard, Indian security expert and analyst retired Major General Harsha Kakar said, “The Iranian domestic defense industry has been able to meet the needs of its forces. Its development in the field of missiles has enabled it to deter nations from attacking it.”

“A nation which possesses deterrence in the region ensures regional stability. It displays that it has the ability to respond to any threat and the attacker would suffer a similar level of damage,” he added.

“The message of the drill is that Iran can defend itself, is not a pushover and would retaliate against US bases and allies in the region,” Kakar noted.

Colonel Anatoly Tsyganok, a member of the Russian Center for Political-Military Studies believes that the recent IRGC's military exercise was a serious warning to the enemies of Iran, especially the United States.

“During the recent military exercise of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran demonstrated its strength in the sea and air, as well as its progress in this field,” he said.

“The exercise once again demonstrated Iran's strengths in having fast naval units and long-range tactical missiles,” he added, saying, “With such armed forces in Iran, no country would dare to attack it because it would most likely have to accept defeat and retreat with heavy casualties.”

In a report published by China Radio International, it also pointed to the power and deterrence of the Iranian missiles, saying that the US should understand the message of the recent drill by the IRGC.

“A significant point of the drill was that IRGC destroyed a mock-up of US’ Nimitz-class carriers with its missiles in the area of the war game,” said the report.

“Iran has actually welcomed the US’ Nimitz-class carrier [that is entering the region] with launching missiles at its mock-up. There is no doubt that with the measure, Iran is trying to display its firm determination in defending its rights and standing against the enemy.”

“Iran has the “most powerful missile power” of the region and equipped with different mid-range and long-range missiles.”

“All the US military bases around Iran are under the range of the Iranian missiles.”

American analyst Stephen Lendman said that Iran’s significant military capabilities would prevent a US attack and contributes to eventual regional peace and stability.

“On the issue of Iran’s defense capabilities, the one positive thing about US sanctions war on the country is it’s made it much more self-reliant. When this storm passes, as it will one day, Iran will be a more major player on the world stage than already,” he said.

“It would be madness for the US to attack Iran militarily because it’s a nation able to hit back hard against an aggressor, making it pay a big price for its actions. I strongly believe the Pentagon wants no part of a war on Iran, knowing they’ll be significant US casualties and destruction of its regional capabilities," Lendman stressed. 

Reported by Zahra Mirzafarjouyan