Iranian Military Commanders Emphasize Continuation of Missile Tests

Two senior commanders of Iran's armed forces emphasized the continuation of missile tests. Mustafa Izadi, Deputy for Strategic Affairs and Oversight of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, told Tasnim News Agency that Iran's missile tests 'have no connection to the frameworks mentioned' in the nuclear agreement and 'will continue in the future.' In this conversation published on Saturday, June 8, Mr. Izadi responded to the question, 'Some say missile tests should not be publicized,' stating that such actions are decided upon by relevant authorities responsible for them, and based on that, exercises are conducted and information is disseminated. Hossein Dehghan, advisor to the Iranian President, had previously asked the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps whether military commanders act based on their feelings or according to issued orders. Two days prior, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Aerospace Force, stated, 'Considering that our exercises have not been publicized in the past two years, it may have emboldened the Americans a bit. We have conducted exercises every year for the past ten years, publicizing them, and nothing happened.' However, Mr. Dehghan questioned on his Facebook whether the lack of publicity for missile exercises was a mistake or an issued directive. There was no mention in the advisor's remarks about the authority that approved any potential directive regarding Iran's missile exercises, but such directives are usually reviewed by the Supreme National Security Council. Ali Fadavi, commander of the IRGC Navy, also recently emphasized the continuation of Iran's missile exercises, stating, 'Anyone who says do not publicize these exercises is mistaken.' Iran's missile program is a source of concern for several countries around the world. The United Nations Security Council has also imposed restrictions and sanctions against this program, which the Islamic Republic emphasizes it does not recognize. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council and a senior IRGC commander, stated on Saturday that Iran's missile program 'receives no orders from outside its borders and serves as a defensive shield for us.' According to Young Journalists Club, Mr. Rezaei added, 'Iran's missiles have a deterrent role, and we will produce missiles for our defense as much as we want.' A day earlier, Abdolrahim Mousavi, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Army, stated that the Islamic Republic 'does not need permission from anyone to increase its defensive capabilities.' The United States and countries involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran claim that Iran's missile tests are 'provocative' and 'inconsistent with' the Security Council resolution, but do not violate the nuclear agreement. In this context, Ayatollah Khamenei considered the possibility of a conventional war against Iran to be 'very weak.'