Iran held large-scale military exercises over the weekend, including tests of its missile systems, in what the Iranian military said was a gesture of defiance against new U.S. sanctions.
“The Revolutionary Guards website said that the aim of the military exercise in Semnan province in central Iran was to ‘showcase the power of Iran’s revolution and to dismiss the sanctions,'” Reuters reported on Saturday.
Another Reuters piece quoted Brigadier General Amir Hajizadeh declaring, “We are working day and night to protect Iran’s security. If we see the smallest misstep from the enemies, our roaring missiles will fall on their heads.”
“The defense capability and the offensive prowess of Iran’s armed forces would make America or any other enemy regretful of any incursion,” added the commander of Iran’s ground forces, General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan.
Al-Jazeera cites a statement on the Revolutionary Guard Corps website that described the Trump administration’s sanctions as “humiliating,” and said the military drills were meant to demonstrate Iran’s “complete preparedness to deal with the threats” from the United States.
“The amateur and irrational policies of the new US administration will change nothing about the principles of Iranian politics,” said a statement from Iran’s Foreign Ministry quoted by the UK Independent.