Iran to Stage Ballistic Missile Maneuver Soon: Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced on Friday that the country plans to hold a ballistic missile maneuver in the near future.
In a speech in the northern city of Qaem Shahr on Friday, Brigadier General Hajizadeh rejected as untrue some claims that the IRGC has halted the ballistic missile program over the past two years, saying that missile tests are on the agenda.
“Such measures (war games and ballistic missile tests) are on the agenda and huge successes have been achieved over the past two years,” the commander stressed.
He further pointed to the IRGC’s plan to stage a massive war game to test-fire ballistic missiles in the near future, adding that its details will be announced soon.
Earlier this month, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi underlined that the country’s missile tests will be carried out on schedule, according to plans endorsed by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.
During the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, France, Britain and Germany), the United States and its allies exerted pressure on Iran over its military capabilities.
Iran, however, said it would only discuss its nuclear program as its missiles are solely employed as a deterrent against any potential foreign aggression.
Since the successful conclusion of the nuclear negotiations in Vienna on July 14, Iranian officials have time and again stressed that the country’s military capabilities would not be affected by the finalized text of the nuclear agreement- known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- or a resolution that the United Nations Security Council passed later to endorse the JCPOA.
