The Iranian Army will start large-scale military exercises in an area stretching from the eastern sector of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the northern tip of the Indian Ocean, Deputy Chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sayyari added that the joint drills — codenamed Zolfaqar 1401 — will begin later tonight with the key motto of “self-confidence, power, sustainable security” to promote the combat capability of the Armed Forces.
He added that the infantry and armored units as well as mechanized regiments of the Army’s Ground Force, air defense systems, subsurface, surface and flying vessels and rangers of the Navy will participate. Strategic bombers of the Air Force will also provide logistical support.
The maneuvers are aimed at improving planning skills, conducting, directing and evaluating joint operations and synergizing the defense power of the Army’s four main divisions.
Sayyari said the drills also focus on enhancing the skills of the Army’s commanders and personnel in using the combat units and the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, drones, electronic and cyber warfare systems.
The commander said the participants will also practice conducting operations in special environments, including those contaminated with biological, chemical and nuclear agents, electronic warfare, and adverse weather conditions.
Sayyari stressed the importance of establishing security in West Asia by relying on the capabilities of the regional countries and their unity.
The massive drills, he said, will remind the regional states of the existing capacities and the fact that they do not need any foreign powers to ensure security in the region.
The presence of extra-regional countries and warmongers has always brought nothing to the West Asia region but insecurity, war and occupation, Sayyari emphasized.
He said the extra-regional countries, particularly the US and Britain, must exit the region so that regional countries can establish stability and peace in their neighborhood.
The Zolfaqar 1401 joint exercise aims to show that the arms embargoes against Iran are ineffective as the country possesses domestically-manufactured equipment.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
