On the eve of Trump’s second presidential term, Iran is showing a show of power with war games

Iran’s military was on Wednesday for four days of large-scale exercises, many of which are preparing for how the country might respond to a joint attack on US, Israeli or nuclear facilities.

The commander of the powerful Najaf Ashraf Western Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Mohammad-Nazar Azimi, assessed the nationwide exercises as “new weapons and equipment”.

Azimi also said that the exercises will test the capabilities of the Basij paramilitary forces, which are tasked with protecting Iran’s internal security.

The war games are likely not only to demonstrate Iran’s ability to respond to and defend against an attack from outside the country, but also to ensure that the Basij are ready to quell any internal rebellion that such attacks might provoke against the country’s Islamic clerics. attack

Some Iranian analysts who are critical of the government and spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity said the exercises could be a show of force prompted by Iran’s dramatic changes in government. The balance of power in the Middle East — Israel is seriously destroying groups supported by Iran Gaza and Lebanonand longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is overthrown by rebel forces.

“The IRGC needs this military exercise to show that Iran is ready in all aspects,” conservative analyst Dr. Yaser Ershadmanesh, who lectures at the University of Law and International Relations in Tehran, told CBS News on Wednesday.

Ershadmanesh said that Israel and its Western allies are pressuring Tehran and presenting an “advanced threat”…so this exercise will show Israel and the US that Iran is fully prepared and will send a message to the world and the region about Iran’s strength and readiness. “

Iranian leaders are likely to increase that pressure significantly after President-elect Donald Trump returns to office on January 20 by imposing further economic sanctions and possibly supporting an Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear or missile facilities.

Trump and his close advisers are considering options to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — something the president-elect says he won’t allow.

Iranian officials have long said they do not intend to acquire nuclear weapons, but after Trump pulled the United States out of the international nuclear deal with Tehran during his first term in office, Iran has steadily strengthened nuclear enrichment programsbringing the country closer to the ability to make an atomic bomb.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Trump and his team discussed the issue possibility of pre-emptive airstrikes About Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of this plan.

One of the main features of the ongoing “Great Prophet 19” military exercise was the air attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, with fictitious strikes in which the enemy hit the plant with a bunker bomb – an Israeli or US type of weapon. They could use it if they targeted Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.

Iran’s semi-official news agency SNN said the ongoing exercise began on January 4 and involves air, land and naval forces and weapons systems, and will demonstrate Iran’s indigenously produced air defense systems, including a variety of short- and medium-range missiles. designed to test projectiles. – cruise missiles.

Among the weapons tested in the exercises is the Dezful surface-to-air missile system, an upgraded version of the Russian-made Tor M1 system. The system is capable of firing two missiles simultaneously from mobile launchers and is designed to shoot down aircraft or ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman, General Ali Mohammad Naeini, previously said that the training will include an electronic warfare dimension.