Iran Focus
The Iranian military manoeuvres took place on the same day the United States announced it too would be holding naval exercises in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian state media said that the military manoeuvres by the IRGC's Navy and Air Force missiles unit are aimed at improving the force's military abilities.
Separately, Brigadier General Mahmoud Chaharbaghi, commander of the IRGC Ground Forces artillery and missiles unit, announced on Monday that 50 of his unit’s brigades were being armed with smart weapons and cluster bombs.
“In case of aggression by the enemy, we will give them a strong response in every quarter of the country, from the borders to the heartland”, General Chaharbaghi said. His remarks were carried by the news agency Fars, which is run by the Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The IRGC was founded in the early days of the Islamic revolution in 1979 as an armed force loyal to Iran’s clerical rulers. Its commanders directly report to Supreme Leader Khamenei and their mission is to "protect and propagate the Islamic revolution".
Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became President in August 2005, hundreds of senior officers of the IRGC have been appointed to government ministries and state institutions to “prop up” the country’s civil administration as the Islamic Republic continues to defy the international community over its suspected nuclear weapons program.
