Iran Military Sweep 2007-2008 Iran holds f-14 tracker aircraft exercises

Brigadier-General Yahya Rahim Safavi said that the IRGC could defend Iran's territories and national interests using the most advanced military technologies.
He added: The IRGC is equipped with sophisticated guided ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 km.
The Iranian commander said: IRGC's military might would serve peace and stability in the region and Iran pursues a defence strategy.

Source: Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Tehran, in English 1130 gmt 16 Aug 07

Iran Guards can "easily penetrate" Israeli, American armoured units - Commander

Text of unattributed report headlined "General Safavi: The Revolutionary Guards Army is the Middle East's largest military power" published by Iranian newspaper Kayhan website, on 16 August
On the eve of 3rd Sha'ban, the Guards Day, Gen. Yahya Safavi, the supreme commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) described the defence preparedness of the country.
In an interview with the international Jam-e Jam [television] network, referring to the power and capabilities of the Guards Corps in different fields, Gen Safavi said: "At the moment, the IRGC is a major defensive and offensive power in the Middle East. By gaining access to advanced technology and through training and equipping of our forces with the most advanced defensive and offensive capabilities, we are fully capable of defending our land, our nation and our national interests."
He stressed: "Of course, after the military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, we changed our doctrine [word in English] and our strategy. On the basis of confronting the forces from beyond the region, we have specially strengthened our airborne [havapayeh] and seaborne [daryapayeh] offensive systems. At the moment, both in the field of ground-to-ground ballistic missiles with 2,000 km range, they have been equipped with the most advanced long-range guided weapons with multiple firing platforms [samaneh] [sentence as published]."
Safavi continued: "In the field of air defence weapons too, we have one of the most advanced defensive ground-to-air missile systems, known as Taur M1 missiles. Our shore-to-sea missile systems can have the entire length and breath of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman under their coverage. No frigate or vessel can pass through the Persian Gulf without being within the range of our shore-to-sea missiles. We have a few thousand fast missile boats in the Persian Gulf region, and we have organised a vast defensive and offensive power in the Persian Gulf."
Speaking about the capabilities of the Basij resistance forces, the supreme commander of the Guards Corps said: "The Basij Resistance Force has mobilised and trained 12 million Basij forces [personnel], which are active within 2,500 Ashura battalions. In Iran, we have also organised flat [mosattah] or mosaic [the previous word in English] defence. In other words, [in] every village, every city and every place that has a number of people living in it, members of the Basij of that city or that location can defend their own territory."
Safavi pointed out: "Through this system, the Basij Resistance Force, namely those 12 million soldiers, can organise the defence of every locality and district, of every village and every location. However, we are in contact [ta'amol, with all the Basij forces through five layers of electrical and electronic communications."
Speaking about the capabilities of the Guards Corps ground forces, he stressed: "At the ground forces level, at present the Guards Corps has one of the most advanced armoured and mechanised equipment and ground-to-air missiles, and it enjoys a high level of manoeuvrability. In other words, the ground force battalions of the Guards Corps are battalions that can fight both with helicopters, as well as with armoured and missile units that are much more advanced than the former Tow missiles. They can attack the most advanced tanks, at the level of Israel's Merkavi tanks or American Abram tanks. In other words, they can easily penetrate advanced Israeli or American armoured units."
Safavi pointed out: "We are confident of our high capability for defending the country. Of course, we think of peace, security and stability throughout the Middle East region, and the Islamic Republic of Iran's strategy is a defensive strategy. In no way, has our country [pursued] an offensive strategy, and the Guards Corps also follows the military strategy of the Islamic Republic."
Speaking about the programmes for improving and developing the level of the Guards Corps' forces, and especially the 12 million Basij forces, the supreme commander of IRGC said: "We have well-defined programmes for enhancing and developing the level of the Islamic and revolutionary culture and raising the level of the [spiritual] understanding and the insight of those forces."
Speaking about the interaction between the Guards Corps and the [conventional] armed forces, he continued: "The missions of the Guards Corps and the armed forces are quite separate. In order to defend Iranian territory, the areas and the regions of the missions of each of the Guards Corps and the armed forces units have been clearly defined and there is maximum co-ordination between them. At the time of crisis or war, the form of command and the unity of command between the Guards Corps and the armed forces have been clearly defined. As the result of joint manoeuvres and military exercises that we have held between the Guards Corps and the armed forces, we have exercised that unity in action and in the field of probable war zones. Consequently, inside [the two forces], in the same way that the two forces fought alongside each other during the [Iran-Iraq] war, at present this defensive and offensive unity, both in the field of military exercises and in the division of territory, has been taken into consideration at a higher level [than during the Iran-Iraq war]."
Speaking about the capabilities and the experiences of the Guards Corps in the field of reconstruction, Safavi stressed: "Both on the basis of the constitution, which sets out that during peacetime the armed forces should take part in the construction field, and on the basis of the orders issued by His Eminence the Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeyni] (may he rest in peace) and the esteemed leader of the revolution [Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i], after the war the Guards Corps has allocated some of its engineering equipment and its high managerial expertise to the construction field. In fact, in order to reconstruct Iran, both in deprived areas and in border areas, in Sistan, Baluchestan, Kordestan and such like, during the past 17 years, we have completed about 1566 projects in different development, industrial and mining fields. At the moment, we are also implementing about 298 development, industrial and mining projects."

Source: Kayhan website, Tehran, in Persian, 16 Aug 07, p 14

Iranian Guards commander highlights "complete self-sufficiency" in defence

Excerpt from report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) website
The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps [IRG] has said: The combat capability of the Ashura 31 Mechanized Division has increased by more than 10 times compared to the final years of the imposed [Iran-Iraq] war.
According to an ISNA reporter, Maj-Gen Rahim Safavi, who was addressing journalists in Tabriz, added: At present, in terms of defence, the Ashura 31 Mechanized Division has reached complete self-sufficiency in not only access to the most advanced military equipment and technologies in the ground and surface units but also in air defence systems, missile systems, and all sorts of partisan and asymmetrical war systems and it can powerfully combat against the enemy's entire heliborne forces.
He said: Achieving such significant success in defensive and deterrent capabilities is thanks to the IRGC's bond with our wise and faithful people who have constantly played a decisive role in Iranian history and the defence of the country.
[Passage omitted: tribute to war martyrs]
Highlighting the role played by the Azarbayjani people in Iranian history, the IRGC commander paid tribute to the 23,000 martyrs [of the Iran-Iraq war] from the provinces of East Azarbayjan, Ardabil and Zanjan on the path of Islamic principles and the revolution. He described it as demonstrative of their loyalty to the political system and the Vali-e Faqih.
[Passage omitted: praising the people of the three provinces for their participation in the recent elections].

Source: ISNA website, Tehran, in Persian 1132gmt 11 Mar 07

Iranian army chief says his country capable of retaliating against US attack

The Iranian army chief has said that his country was capable of retaliating against a US military attack. He said despite sanctions Iran was self-sufficient in the manufacturing of various weapons. He revealed that Iranian experts were able to build highly advanced aircraft. Yahya Rahim-Safavi said Iran wanted to establish good relations with its neighbours and had no intention for destabilizing the region. He urged the Europeans to distance their policies from those of the US because the latter thinks only of its own interest. The following is the text of Safavi's interview conducted by Navid Behrouz broadcast by Iranian Arabic language television news channel Al-Alam on 12 February. Sub-headings are inserted editorially:
[Behrouz] In the name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate! Dear viewers! Welcome to this exclusive interview with Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps Maj-Gen Yahya Rahim-Safavi. Maj-Gen Safavi, recently we have seen an intensification of Iranian military manoeuvres. Does this reflect Iran's concern over the increasing US threats against your country?
[Safavi - in Persian fading into Arabic translation] In the name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate! I congratulate citizens wherever they are on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran. With regard to the naval manoeuvres, I believe this matter is very natural. You have seen how some Arab states in the Persian Gulf staged big manoeuvres in the Sea of Oman last week. For our part, we are conducting manoeuvres according to a planned annual programme and we are testing new Iranian-made weapons. With regard to threats, I think the media have inflated the issue. The objective of such threats is to declare a psychological war. However, as far as we, in the armed forces, are concerned we are seeking to gather as much information as possible in order to put under the spotlight the enemy coming from across the seas and its movements; to put our defence capabilities in full preparation in anticipation of any developments by the enemy's forces and to nip in the bud sedition in a manner which will bewilder the enemies and their agents.

Iran's defence capabilities

[Behrouz] With regard to Iran's defence capabilities we have recently noticed that a number of weapons, which you say have been developed in Iran, were tested. To what extent is Iran self-sufficient in the production of weapons and do you have a plan to test new weapons in the near future?
[Safavi] After 28 years of the blessed Islamic revolution - including the eight years of the war imposed by the former Ba'th regime on the Islamic republic - the Ministry of Defence and other armed forces have been able to be self-sufficient in the production of various kinds of weapons. This is the case, for instance, with surface-to-surface missiles and ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 km. The economic sanctions had no effect on our armament activities. As you noticed last week, we conducted a test on the Ra'd surface-to-sea missiles with a range of 350 km. We have tested this kind of missiles in the Sea of Oman. These missiles were able to hit their targets in utmost precision. They are also capable of covering the entire Persian Gulf region. There is another kind of missiles called TOR-m1. This missile is distinguished by its lightening speed. It is a surface-to-air missile and it is a very modern weapon. We received this kind of missiles recently from Russia and we integrated them in our military programmes. The range of this missile is between 12 and 20 km. In addition to its ability to hit military aircraft and to destroy cruise inter-continental missiles, this missile is capable of dealing with eight targets at the same time. Currently, this system is at the disposal of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps' air force. Our experts have also built a pilotless aircraft. This aircraft is capable flying for about 700 km. I am announcing this news for the first time. This aircraft is capable of taking pictures, gather information about the enemy and send it to the [high] command. This is in addition to the fact that this aircraft can identify the enemy's bases and ships' positions as well as other regrouping areas. This aircraft is made of material which cannot be detected by radar and, accordingly, cannot be hit by anti-aircraft missiles.
[Behrouz] With regard to this kind of aircraft, I mean pilotless aircraft, is it possible to equip them with weapons to attack the enemy's targets?
[Safavi] This is a pilotless aircraft. Its objective is to identify the positions of the enemy. The tests carried out on this aircraft were successful. We are in the process of producing a large number of these aircraft. We have also integrated them in our military programmes and plans.

Iranians in favour of peaceful relations

[Behrouz] Some Western sources spoke of the possibility of Iran launching a satellite in the near future. How true are these reports?
[Safavi] The Ministry of Defence in the Islamic Republic has shown an unprecedented capability in the making of satellites. As for the launch of such satellites, it needs the help of one of the neighbouring states. By relying on the noble Islamic teachings, I would like to say that our regime, our armed forces and our brave people are in favour of peace and in favour of establishing good relations with all world states, with the exception one or two states, which are known to everyone. We are eager to see relations of good neighbourliness with our neighbours. We are also eager to see the spread of peace, relations of good neighbourliness and progress in the Persian Gulf region. For this reason, our strategy is based on defence. We have no intention of attacking any state, and expansion is not among our objectives and strategy. We are in the process of protecting our Islamic revolution, developing our country, Iran, and ending the problems which concern citizens, particularly in the poor areas of the country.
US threat?
[Behrouz] To what extent do you take seriously the US threats?
[Safavi] Have the Americans had an iota of brain they would think seriously about the problems which are almost drowning them. There are 17,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan. Recently, the US troops took over the command of the NATO forces from the British troops. This is in addition to the presence of 150,000 US soldiers in the Iraqi quagmire and the spending of some 450bn dollars. Meanwhile Mr [George] Bush has presented the Pentagon's budget for 2008 which is estimated at 617bn dollars. More than 200bn dollars of this budget are earmarked to military expenses in Iraq only. Do not forget that more than 3,000 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq. I believe the Americans are in the process of leaving the Iraqi quagmire within the next two years, as a face-saving move. I do not believe that they have the capability to confront a third state like Iran, either politically or militarily or economically. I cannot see this possibility. Meanwhile, Iran is completely different from Afghanistan and Iraq. We have a strong government, a 70m strong people and a territory four times larger than Iraq and three times larger than Afghanistan. Iran has a deep-rooted history. It has a popular and religious government and a strong army. This is in addition to the 10m civilian volunteers, the Basij, who are grouped in 2,500 battalions and who are fully ready to defend the homeland.
[Behrouz] Despite all of this, however, what will your response be if the US decides to carry out a military strike against Iran?
[Safavi] There is no doubt that if the Americans carry out a military strike against Iran we will attack all their bases, without exception, in the region.
[Behrouz] Some political analysts say that the US forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq could be a hostage of Iran if the US carries out an attack against the country. Can you clarify this issue?
[Safavi] I cannot put forward the issue in this way. We are capable of attacking the enemy's aircraft and missiles during an aggression. We can also retaliate. The Americans are well aware of our military capabilities. Naturally, so far we have not revealed all our military capabilities. I think that many of our military capabilities are beyond the imagination of the enemy. I think those who are in charge of the government in Washington and those behind them are well aware of the fact that Iran is the centre of gravity in the region. It is not in the interest of the US to be involved in a conflict with an Islamic and a strong Iran. Naturally, the US is capable of starting a battle but it will not be able to know its end and to know our objectives. I, myself, rule out this happening. As armed forces, however, we are fully ready to defend our homeland, interests and people.
[Behrouz] Some Iranian officials spoke about the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz in case of a military attack against Iran. Is Iran capable of closing this strait if there is an attack against you?
[Safavi] A decision of this kind must be taken by the Supreme National Security Council in Iran. Therefore, I refrain from expressing my view over this issue. This is a political decision which is beyond the prerogatives of the armed forces. The question, however, is: Are we capable of closing the Strait of Hormuz? Yes! The Iranian armed forces can do this.

Anti-Iran coalition?

[Behrouz] Recently, the US sought to form a coalition against you. The coalition includes European states, Israel and some Arab states. What is the Iranian policy towards this US move?
[Safavi] For my part, I advise the European states to distance their political and economic destiny from that of the US. The US did not share the Iraqi oil or the rebuilding of Iraq with the European states. Instead, the US sought to involve its private companies in the reconstruction of Iraq and in the oil production in this country. Therefore, the Europeans have multiple and considerable interests in Iran's oil and gas. This is in addition to various economic relations. Therefore, the Europeans need to not put their interests in the same basket as those of the US interests. It is clear that the Americans do not want to see the European states with an economy which is stronger than the US economy. Therefore, I advise the Europeans to distance themselves and their multiple interests with Iran from those of the US. With regard to the Persian Gulf Arab states, we have been living together in peace for more than 2,000 years. Us and them will stay here and the Americans will leave soon. We have a burning desire to establish excellent relations with Arab states on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf. This is in addition to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey. We want to work together to bring about peace and security in this region of the world and to push our peoples towards progress and development. We have no desire at all to destabilize the region. On the contrary, we believe that it is the Persian Gulf states which are capable of bringing about peace and security in the region. Those who destabilize the region are those who came from across oceans and seas four years ago. They occupied Afghanistan and Iraq and they established military bases in a number of countries. We have a strong desire to establish excellent economic relations with both European states and states neighbouring Iran and to maintain peace and security in this region.
[Behrouz] Maj-Gen Rahim-Safavi! Your name was included in the list, adopted by Resolution 1,737, of those who are banned from travelling or whose travel abroad will be monitored. How do you explain this resolution and what is your reaction?
[Safavi] I think the way this resolution was issued is wrong. This reflects the state of nervousness of those who came up with the aforementioned resolution. I have no relation with or responsibility with regard to nuclear technology. However, I have many responsibilities concerning the Iranian armed forces. This does not concern me at all. I don't have accounts in foreign banks so that these people can seize them. Meanwhile, I usually don't travel abroad. If I want to travel I will do it in a way that cannot be imagined by those who have issued the resolution. Therefore, this resolution is not important as far as I am concerned. It is obvious that the influence of the Zionist lobby on the resolution and on those who issued it is clear. The Zionists seem to be worried by the forces of the Islamic Revolution's Guards and by the command of these forces. They need to be concerned after the Zionist failed in facing a small believer group of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement. So how can they stand in the face of 70 million people and 10 million civilian volunteers who can retaliate against any Zionist threat! I believe this is the reason for the nervousness over the forces of the Islamic Revolution's Guards. This resolution has no effect on me, personally. On the contrary, I am very happy to be the target of the enemies of Islam and of the revolution.
[Behrouz] Honourable viewers, I thank my honourable guest Maj-Gen Rahim-Safawi, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps in Iran. Thank you very much.

Source: Al-Alam TV, Tehran, in Arabic 1434 gmt 12 Feb 07

Iran mass producing stealth drone - Guards top commander

Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website
Tehran, 11 February: Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major-General Yahya Rahim-Safavi said here Saturday [10 February] Iran has started mass producing and using a stealth drone with a range of 700 kilometres.
In an interview with Iranian Arabic news network "Al-Alam" the general said the drone can be used in reconnaissance operations, information gathering, picture dispatching and film shooting.
He added the shape and material of the drone makes it impossible to be detected by radars so it cannot be targeted.
General Safavi said: "The drone has passed its experimental phase and is being mass produced, and we are currently using it in our operations."
Responding to a question about a big military exercise to be launched by Iran soon and if it is probably related to threats from outside the region, General Safavi answered: "Military exercises are something normal for all [countries], and Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region had a large military manoeuvre in the Oman Sea and we also have military exercises in our annual programmes and we test our domestic made weapons in the exercises."
He added threats are usually made by some foreign media and they have a nature of psychological war, but he underlined that Iran's armed forces, completely aware of enemies' military movements, have prepared their defensive plans to confront decisively any possible threats.
After 28 years of Islamic Revolution victory, especially with eight-year experiences of the imposed war, Defence Ministry and armed forces have reached self-sufficiency in production of different types of weaponry from ground to ground missiles to long range missiles, ballistic missiles with the range of 2,000 kilometres and coast to sea missiles.
Commander of IRGC said Iran's strategy is completely defensive adding: "We want peace, tranquillity, security and progress in the Persian Gulf region.