Iran\u2019s navy test-fired a range of cruise missiles during large-scale drills on Thursday, striking surface targets in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, state media reported.<\/p>\n
The exercises, dubbed Sustainable Power 1404, featured the simultaneous use of Nasir, Qadir, and Ghader anti-ship cruise missiles launched from coastal batteries and warships, including the Genaveh missile boat and the Sabalan destroyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese missiles, with different ranges, successfully hit their designated targets at sea,\u201d the semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Officials described the systems as radar-evading, high-precision and designed to counter both naval and coastal targets.<\/p>\n
The drills took place around a month after the Iran-Russia drill under the name Casarex 2025<\/a>, which took place in Iran’s northern waters — the Caspian Sea.<\/p>\n Marking National Defense Industry Day, Iran\u2019s Defense Ministry said the country had advanced \u201cfrom the peak of dependence on foreigners to the heights of self-sufficiency and power\u201d in the missile, weapons and space sectors.<\/p>\n It warned that \u201cany miscalculation in the region will be met with a very strong response from Iran\u2019s powerful armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n The ministry said the 12-day war in June had demonstrated the effectiveness of Iranian weaponry, adding that Tehran\u2019s defense industry will continue to expand without a moment of hesitation.<\/p>\n Iran maintains two distinct naval forces under separate command structures: the conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy — a force within the traditional army –and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.<\/p>\n While both are tasked with defending Iranian interests at sea, their missions, capabilities and areas of operation differ, according to a Defense News analysis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IRGC Navy and the Iranian Navy have two separate command structures. While some of their responsibilities overlap, the primary difference is the methods and strategies of operation,\u201d analyst Sina Azodi told Defense News.<\/p>\n He added that the IRGC Navy emphasizes asymmetric operations, relying on fast boats, missile-equipped vessels and hit-and-run tactics, while the traditional Navy deploys larger platforms such as frigates, corvettes and submarines.<\/p>\n According to Mohamed al-Kenany, head of the military studies unit at the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Analyzing Iranian Policies, another key distinction is geography.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s navy patrols the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Caspian Sea, while the Revolutionary Guard controls the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, where it has seized Western vessels<\/a> and shadowed US warships during past tensions.<\/p>\n Al-Kenany added that the IRGC\u2019s use of naval mines and swarms of small craft makes its anti-access strategy in the Persian Gulf highly effective, while the conventional Navy remains constrained by aging 1970s-era frigates and corvettes and sanctions that block modernization.<\/p>\n Since 1979, the United States has imposed sanctions on Iran that restrict access to advanced military technology, forcing Tehran to rely on indigenous development and adaptations of older systems.<\/p>\n Iranian Navy minehunter Shahin.<\/p><\/div>\n Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said Iran\u2019s only guarantee of security was to continually upgrade its systems.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way to shield the country from threats is to enhance deterrence and modernize our ground, naval, aerospace, air defense, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities,\u201d he said in a message to Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh.<\/p>\n Nasirzadeh himself told reporters on Wednesday that Iran had developed a new generation of missiles with greater capabilities than those used in the June conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cThe missiles we used in the 12-day war were built several years ago. Today we possess missiles with far better capabilities, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on another adventure, we will certainly use them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that Israel\u2019s missile-defense systems, including the US-made THAAD, Patriot, Arrow and Iron Dome, had proven ineffective. \u201cIn the early days, about 40% of our missiles were intercepted, but by the end of the war, 90% were striking their targets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nArmy Navy vs Guard Navy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shahin.jpg\")
<\/a>Top commanders call for modernization<\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘War is not over’<\/strong><\/h2>\n