Tabnak – As the US threats of a military move against Iran have increased following the recent Yemeni attack against the Saudi oil facilities, the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian Army hold a military drill in the Persian Gulf to show readiness in face of any potential threats.
Fighter jets of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have taken part in joint aerial drills over the Persian Gulf waters ahead of a massive parade slated for Sunday. Various combat, tactical, reconnaissance, transport, and tanker aircraft of the IRIAF and the IRGC were present at the Friday morning drills.
The exercises, held for the second day, were aimed at increasing the preparedness of the military units for the massive drills due to be held on Sunday on the anniversary of Sacred Defense Week, which marks the beginning of the eight-year war imposed by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Iran in 1980.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian warplanes took off from Shahid Abdolkarimi Airbase in the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on the first day of the preparatory drills.
Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, the lieutenant commander of the IRIAF, said on Thursday the parades send the message of peace and friendship to neighboring countries.
In addition to the jet fighters, 200 frigates and speedboats will also display the country’s naval power during the Sunday parade.
“The parade will be held to display the strengths and capabilities of the Armed Forces, and to boost unity and sympathy among the Army and IRGC forces,” General Vahedi said.
He praised the Islamic Republic’s role in maintaining the sustainable security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, saying that only regional countries can secure the strategic bodies of water.
The parade is to be held at a time when the US is forming a naval mission, already joined by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, purportedly aimed at protecting shipping lanes in the Middle Eastern waterways.
The United States has been trying to persuade its allies to join the international coalition with the declared aim of providing “security” for merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and other strategic shipping lanes in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, warned that if the US thinks of any plots against Iran, the Islamic Republic will respond from an area extending from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.
“With the grace of God and thanks to the vigilance and patience of the great Iranian nation and the unforgettable sacrifices of 200,000 martyrs…, the Iranian nation has become an invincible regional power in West Asia,” Major General Rahim Safavi said, addressing a gathering of worshippers in Tehran on Friday.
“If the Americans think of any conspiracy, we will respond from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean,” he added.
“Any anti-Iranian move will overturn the region,” the top official warned, adding that the Americans know well that Iran is enjoying a brave leader and powerful armed forces.
