Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Saturday conducted a drill launching anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target in the Indian Ocean, reports The Associated Press.
Footage showed two missiles smashing into a target that Iranian state television described as “hypothetical hostile enemy ships” at a distance of 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles). The report did not specify the type of missiles used.
In the first phase of the drill on Friday, the Guard’s aerospace division launched surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones against “hypothetical enemy bases."
Footage also showed four unmanned, triangle-shaped drones flying in a tight formation, smashing into targets and exploding.
The drill comes amid tensions between the US and Iran in US President Donald Trumo’s final days in office. Trump recently made clear that he would hold "Iran responsible" for any fatal attack on Americans in Iraq.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, later warned Trump against any "adventurism" before leaving the White House.
The US military later flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a move meant "to underscore the US military's commitment to regional security and demonstrate a unique ability to rapidly deploy overwhelming combat power on short notice.”
Later, Gen. Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said his country is fully prepared to respond to any US military pressure.
Iran has increased its military drills in recent weeks as the country tries to pressure President-elect Joe Biden over the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew in 2018. Biden has indicated the US could reenter the deal, which was negotiated when he was Vice President under the Obama administration.