Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Iran's Revolutionary GuardsReuters

Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Monday held another round of military exercises, during which it launched several sophisticated rockets, The Associated Press reports.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, considered to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, said the launch of the "smart and advanced" rockets came during an annual three-day maneuver in Iran's central desert.

State TV later showed footage of several rockets launching from the back of trucks in the desert, according to AP.

Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, was quoted as having told the channel that rockets with ranges of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) as well as the Fajr-3, Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rockets, all believed to have under 100-kilometer range, were all successfully tested in the exercise.

He further stressed the tests send a message to any of Iran's potential adversaries that "we are ready to give a crushing respond to any threat."

Pakpour is the same Iranian military official who threatened the United States over the weekend, warning American officials to “be wise” and stop threatening Iran with military aggression.

The latest military manoeuvers by Iran come amid tensions between the United States and Iran which began earlier this month which began when the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials.

The sanctions came in response to a ballistic missile test conducted by Iran in violation of UN Resolution 2231, which bars Iran from conducting ballistic missile tests for eight years and which went into effect after the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers was signed.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to the sanctions, vowing that it too would ensure "legal restrictions" were imposed on the "American individuals and companies which have a role in aiding extremist and terrorist groups or contribute to the suppression and murder of the defenseless people in the region.”

Iran has also threatened to attack Israel as part of its anti-U.S. rhetoric. A senior Iranian official recently threatened his country would immediately strike Israel if the United States "makes a mistake" noting that "only 7 minutes is needed for the Iranian missile to hit Tel Aviv."