Iran’s military forces conducted four days of extensive exercises on Wednesday that many believe are essentially preparations for how the country might respond to a U.S., Israeli or combined attack on its nuclear facilities.
Brigadier General Mohammad-Nazar Azimi, commander of the western headquarters of Najaf Ashraf, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, touted the national exercises as including “new weapons and equipment.”
Azimi also said the exercises would test the capabilities of Iran’s Basij paramilitary forces, tasked with maintaining internal security.
These war games are likely intended not only to demonstrate Iran’s ability to respond and defend against an attack from outside the country, but also to ensure that the Basij are prepared to quell any domestic uprising against the rulers. Islamic clerics of the country which could be precipitated by such an attack.
Some Iranian analysts who are critical of the government and spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity said the exercises could be a show of power by Iran brought on by the dramatic changes in the situation. balance of power in the Middle East – Israel severely disabling Iran-backed groups Gaza and Lebanonand long-time Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad overthrown by rebel forces.
Iranian state media
Dr. Yasser Ershadmanesh, a conservative analyst who teaches at Tehran University of Law and International Relations, told CBS News on Wednesday that “the IRGC needed this military exercise to show them that Iran is ready for anything respect”.
Ershadmanesh said Israel and its Western allies were putting pressure on Tehran and posed an “imminent threat…so this exercise will show Israel and the United States that Iran is completely ready and will send a message to the world and the region on Iran’s power and preparedness. »
Iranian leaders likely fear that President-elect Donald Trump, once returned to power on January 20, will significantly increase this pressure by implementing new economic sanctions and possibly supporting an Israeli military attack on Iranian nuclear and/or missile facilities .
Trump and his close advisers are considering options to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon — something the president-elect has said he would not allow.
Iranian state media
Iranian officials have long said they have no plans to acquire nuclear weapons, but since Trump withdrew the United States from the international nuclear deal with Tehran during his first term, Iran has gradually accelerated its nuclear enrichment programsbringing the country closer to the ability to build an atomic bomb.
The Wall Street Journal reported recently that Trump and his team had discussed the issue. possibility of pre-emptive airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as part of this planning.
One of the key elements of the ongoing “Great Prophet 19” military exercise has been a simulated air assault on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, with mock strikes showing an enemy hitting the plant with an anti-aircraft bomb. -bunker – the type of weapon of Israel or the United States. could be useful if they targeted Iran’s underground nuclear work.
Iran’s semi-official SNN news agency said the current exercise began on January 4 and included air, land and sea forces as well as weapons systems, and was aimed at testing the systems of Iranian domestically-made air defense systems, including a number of different short- and medium-range air defense systems. -missiles within range.
Among the weapons tested during the exercises is the Dezful surface-to-air missile system, which is an upgraded version of the Russian-made Tor M1 system. The system can fire up to two rockets simultaneously from mobile launchers and is designed to shoot down aircraft or ballistic missiles.
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini previously said the exercise would also include an electronic warfare dimension.