Iran to Hold Great Prophet VIII Military Drills

Local Editor

Iran announced Wednesday that it will hold "Great Prophet VIII" military exercises next week, being staged in the Eastern region of the country.

Iran IRGC general Mohammad Pakpour said the drills will be held in Iran's Kerman, Sirjan and Sirous provinces.
Speaking at the press conference, Pakpour noted that the drills will last for three days, occupying a large area, and the event is set to start on Feb. 23.
He further stated that "the new ground combat systems will be tested at the exercises," adding that the details of the held exercises will be publicized later.
Iran held "Great Prophet VII" exercises in July 2012, where long, medium, and short-range missiles [Shahab II and III, Zelzal, Fateh, Tondar, Khalij fars, Qiyam] were used.

Fighter jets and unmanned bombers will also be used on the final day of the exercise.
The "Great Prophet IV" land exercises were held in Iran in June-July of 2011. During those, Iran introduced missiles launched from an underground launcher and tested the Fateh-10 missile.

According to Tehran, the exercises were held solely to demonstrate the country's defense abilities under the slogan "peace and friendship."

Iran reiterated that the war drills are a "message of peace and friendship to countries of the region." The Islamic Republic stated it felt no exterior threat, apart from the US and "Israel", and that the missiles pose no danger to Europe."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org