Experts: 'Unprecedented' Drills Highlight Weakness of the Islamic Republic

In a report prepared and published by Voice of America, security researchers analyzed the military exercises of the Islamic Republic over the past two months, deeming them 'unprecedented.' Security researchers told Voice of America that these extensive military drills, conducted over the past two months to prevent potential attacks from Israel and the United States, are nearing their final stages. According to these experts, the Islamic Republic's drills, which were supposed to conclude in mid-October, included several weapon systems considered a threat to the U.S. and Israel, as well as other armaments that reveal weaknesses in Iran's deterrent capabilities. Behnam Talablu, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Voice of America that 'the speed, intensity, and generality of these exercises are unprecedented.' Farzin Nadimi from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who has studied the Iranian military for the past 20 years, stated that he has never seen the Islamic Republic conduct this many drills in such a short period. Iranian state media reported that the drills began on December 28 (December 8) and involved various forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Army across different regions of the country. The air defense exercises of the IRGC and the Army near the nuclear sites of Natanz, Fordow, and the Arak reactor in Khondab were among these military exercises. Other military drills included the IRGC Navy exercises in the Persian Gulf, the second round of IRGC Ground Forces drills in southwestern Iran, and an army exercise in southern Iran and the waters of the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean. Iranian officials and state media described these exercises as having several goals, including boosting public morale, strengthening defensive and offensive capabilities, integrating military forces, and utilizing indigenous technologies to counter external threats. Nadimi stated that the Iranian government is clearly witnessing an increase in military threats from Israel and the U.S. Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the U.S. has intensified its warnings to the Islamic Republic regarding the consequences of increasing enriched uranium levels to weapons-grade. Tehran has long sought to develop nuclear weapons. Trump, in a recent joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated, 'They cannot have nuclear weapons. If I think they will have nuclear weapons, despite what I said, I think it will be very regrettable for them.' Netanyahu also reminded Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, in a recent meeting in Jerusalem that Israel has inflicted what he called a 'major blow' to the Islamic Republic's terror axis in the past 16 months. These blows included the first major Israeli airstrike on Islamic Republic positions inside Iran. The Israeli military, in response to Voice of America's request for comment on the Islamic Republic's military exercises, stated that the country 'conducts ongoing situational assessments to ensure readiness for a range of scenarios, both defensive and offensive.' Netanyahu's spokesperson refrained from commenting on Voice of America's inquiry regarding the Israeli government's assessment of the Islamic Republic's drills. The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to Voice of America's questions about these exercises. The second flight of U.S. bombers in the Middle East occurred within the past 48 hours. Meanwhile, the Israeli military and police in the cities of 'Galilee' and 'Eilat' are preparing for potential attacks from Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic. U.S. officials reported the relocation of missile launch platforms by Iran; a multinational coalition warned Israel to limit its response to any potential attack. The Islamic Republic stated that an all-out war by Israel against Hezbollah would initiate a 'devastating war.'