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Update: Iran test-fires ballistic missiles in military drills

Xinhua, March 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iran test-fired on Tuesday several ballistic missiles in the ongoing military drills attended by the senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

The missile drills, conducted in different parts of the country, are aimed at enhancing the deterrent power of the Islamic republic in the face of threats against the revolution and the territorial integrity of Iran, official IRNA news agency reported.

On Tuesday, the chief commander of IRGC, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said that Iran's ongoing missile drills are "firm responses to the nonsense babbled by the enemies about (possible) missile-related sanctions" against Iran.

"Firing of the missiles is an embodiment of the ready-to-operate status of Iran's missile depots in every part of the country, Jafari was quoted as saying by IRGC's website.

"The drills also unfold this point to the enemies that the deterrent power and the national security of Iran is our red-line and we are not ready to negotiate over it with anybody," he said.

"Today, almost 100 percent of our (missile) products have been indigenized and we are independent," he said, adding that the western sanctions on Iran in the past years only resulted in the development and independency of the country in the field.

Jafari said the message of missile drills of Iran is "security" for the regional states and the security of Iran is tied with that of its neighbors.

However, the enemies of the Islamic republic, particularly, Israel should be frightened of the "roar" of Iran's missiles, he said, maintaining that "the range of most of our missiles could reach the Zionist regime" of Israel.

In October, Iran announced it "successfully" test-fired the country's first long-range missile of Emad which could be guided and controlled until hitting the target with high precision.

In December, a United Nations experts' report said Iran violated the UN Security Council Resolution 1929 by test-firing the Emad missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

The UN report said the Emad ballistic missile has a range of "no less than 1,000 km with a payload of at least 1,000 kg."

Under Resolution 1929, Iran is prohibited from working on ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

However, Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan rejected the report, saying that the Emad missile is "totally conventional."

The Islamic republic is believed to have the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East and has developed a 2,000-km missile. Endit