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08-03-2025
TEHRAN: Iran’s army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been showcasing and testing new defensive and offensive weapons in large-scale military exercises for the past three months.
The country is preparing for another tumultuous year amid threats by the United States and Israel to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, critical energy infrastructure, and military sites.
Iran is also promising a third iteration of its major military strikes on Israel, in retaliation for Israeli attacks amid the devastating war on Gaza.
The exercises, Eqtedar, Zolfaqar and Great Prophet have been held across Iran, the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.
The weapons tested show Iran intends to maintain its defiance of Israel and the West, refusing to negotiate with US President Donald Trump under his “maximum pressure” policy and continuing to advance its nuclear program.
Secret missile cities
The IRGC unveiled three major underground military bases, with commanders saying they are prepared for a prolonged war.
Inside what state television called a “missile megacity”, dozens of ballistic projectiles could be seen, some on mobile launchers for quick deployment.
These included; Khorramshahr-4, a liquid-fuel rocket with a range of 2,000km (1,242 miles) and an upgraded warhead reportedly weighing up to two tonnes (4,400 pounds).
Jahad, a liquid-fuel rocket that can go up to 1,000km (621 miles) with a 650kg (1,400-pound) warhead.
L360, a solid-fuel rocket that can go 180km (111 miles) while carrying 150kg (330 pounds) of explosives.
Qadr, a two-stage rocket that can travel up to 2,000km and carry a warhead weighing up to 750kg (1,650 pounds).
Emad, a liquid-fuel missile with a range of about 1,800km (1,118 miles) and warheads up to 750kg.
The IRGC Navy also showed some of a secret underground naval base along Iran’s southern coast.
Inside it, hundreds of missile-carrying speedboats and anti-ship mines were shown, as well as a new cruise missile, an anti-ship projectile called the Qadr-380. The Qadr-380 can travel more than 1,000km, meaning Iran would be able to attack ships from deep inside its territory.
The IRGC also says it has a new anti-ship supersonic cruise missile with a range of 2,000km that it will unveil soon.
Warplanes
Iran used its fighter jets as well, some domestic models such as the Saeqeh and Azarakhsh, as well as many older US and Russian models dating back to before Iran’s 1979 revolution.
It also used the newer, Russian-made Yak-130 alongside MiG-29 fighter jets to intercept an enemy drone as part of an exercise.
The subsonic two-seat jet Yak-130 was delivered by Moscow in September 2023 to train pilots for the advanced Su-35 fighter jets that Iran has long ordered but not received.
Air defences
Defending critical infrastructure is a priority for Iranian authorities, especially after Israel attacked multiple Iranian provinces in late October.
Tehran claimed the impact was limited and it had replaced damaged gear. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
