Iran’s military has had four days of extensive tests on Wednesday that many believe are actually preparations for how the country would respond to an attack by the US, Israel or a combination of nuclear facilities.
Brigadier Gen. Mohammad-Nazar Azimi, commander of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Najaf Ashraf West Headquarters, praised the training being conducted across the country as including “new weapons and equipment.”
Azimi also said that the exercises will test the strength of Iran’s Basij forces, which are tasked with maintaining domestic security.
The war games are likely intended not only to demonstrate Iran’s ability to respond and defend against attacks from outside the country, but also to ensure that the Basij is ready to quell any domestic rebellion against the country’s Muslim rulers that may result. to attack.
Some Iranian analysts who are critical of the government and spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity said the training could be a demonstration of Iran’s strength due to dramatic changes in the country. balance of power in the Middle East – with Israel severely crippling Iranian-backed groups Gaza and Lebanonand the long-time Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is overthrown by the rebel forces.
Iranian media
Dr. Yasser Ershadmanesh, a conservative analyst who teaches at the University of Law and International Relations in Tehran, told CBS News on Wednesday that “the IRGC needs to have this military test to show them that Iran is ready in all aspects.”
Ershadmanesh said that Israel and its Western allies are putting pressure on Tehran and presenting “an imminent threat … so this test will show Israel and the US that Iran is completely ready, and it will send a message to the world and the region about Iran’s strength and readiness “
Iran’s leaders may be concerned that President-elect Donald Trump, once he returns to office on January 20, will increase that pressure by imposing ongoing economic sanctions and possibly supporting Israeli military attacks on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities.
Trump and his closest advisers have been mulling ways to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — something the president-elect has said he will not allow.
Iranian media
Iranian officials have long said they have no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons, but since Trump pulled the US out of the international nuclear deal with Tehran during his first term in office, Iran has remained so. strengthened its nuclear enrichment programsmoving the country closer to the ability to make an atomic bomb.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Trump and his team have discussed the possibility of airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of that plan.
One of the key features of the ongoing “Great Prophet 19” military exercise has been a simulated air attack on a nuclear facility in Iran, Natanz, simulated strikes see the enemy hit the plant with a high-explosive bomb – a type of Israeli or US weapon. they can use if they target Iran’s underground nuclear activity.
Iran’s official SNN news agency said the ongoing operation began on January 4 and includes air systems, ground and naval forces and weapons, and that it is aimed at testing Iran’s home-built air defense systems, including a number of different short- and medium-range types. -missile weapons.
Among the weapons being tested in the exercises is the Dezful surface-to-air missile system, which is an advanced version of the Russian-made Tor M1 system. The system can fire two rockets simultaneously from mobile launch vehicles and is designed to shoot down aircraft or missiles.
IRGC spokesman, Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini previously said that there will also be an electronic warfare component in this operation.
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