Iran Reports Launch of 'Advanced Rockets' During Revolutionary Guard Drill

Media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guard reported on Monday, February 20, the launch of 'advanced rockets' during a ground forces drill in central Iran. Fars and Tasnim news agencies published similar reports, stating that the Revolutionary Guard's ground forces began a three-day drill in central Iran on Monday, where in the first phase, 'hypothetical enemy targets were hit with advanced, smart, and precision-guided rockets of various classes.' The report indicates that this drill, named 'Prophet Muhammad 11,' involves 'artillery, air defense, drone, infantry, and air assault units' of the Revolutionary Guard. The mentioned news agencies did not provide details about the models of the rockets tested in this drill and their capabilities, but described the launch and hitting of targets as 'successful.' Iran faced criticism from the United States and the European Union in mid-February due to a missile test, with the then National Security Advisor of the U.S. President officially warning Iran. Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, stated that the mentioned test was conducted on February 29 and that the tested missile 'had the capability to carry a 500 kg warhead with a range of up to 300 kilometers.' Washington declared this test as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan confirmed the test but stated that 'the recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow any foreign interference in our defense affairs.' The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry also reacted to the criticisms of this missile test, stating that this action does not violate the UN resolution and the JCPOA. The U.S. Treasury Department on February 4 placed 25 individuals and entities on its sanctions list in connection with Iran's missile test, which includes 13 individuals and 12 companies, some of which are active in the UAE, Lebanon, and China. Recently, Iran's missile tests have once again made headlines. For instance, Fox News reported, citing anonymous sources, that Iran had canceled the launch of a powerful missile named 'Safir' from a location in eastern Tehran (within Semnan Province) and had transferred this missile to an 'unknown location' on February 8. The Iranian Defense Minister denied this news and described it as part of 'Iranophobia.' Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham described Iran's missile program as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, emphasizing that Senate Republicans will soon propose a plan to increase sanctions on Iran due to ballistic missile tests. In this context, Qasemi stated that the U.S. positions regarding Iran's missile test do not matter, and the missile crisis poses a danger to Iran's oil revenues. The White House stated that Iran's ayatollahs will understand that a new president has come. Fox News reported that Iran has canceled the launch of a powerful missile. Greecyk stated that Iran is determined to have missiles for deterrence. Two American senators warned about the possibility of imposing more sanctions against Iran.