Iran is to deploy missiles for a Revolutionary Guards exercise Saturday in a show of defiance a day after the United States imposed sanctions over a ballistic missile test launch last weekend. Relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated sharply since Donald Trump took office last month promising a tough line on what he sees as Iranian belligerency towards US interests and allies. Hours after the new US sanctions were announced, Pentagon chief James Mattis charged that Iran was "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world."
Iran's medium-range missiles can reach 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles), sufficient to strike Israel or US bases in the Gulf. But the Revolutionary Guards said that the missiles deployed for Saturday's exercise would only be of very short range - up to 75 kilometres (47 miles). They said the manoeuvres in the north-eastern province of Semnan were aimed at demonstrating their "complete preparedness to deal with the threats" and "humiliating sanctions" from Washington. "Different types of domestically produced radar and missile systems, command and control centres, and cyber warfare systems will be used in this exercise," the Guards' website said.
The new sanctions do not yet mean that Washington has abandoned commitments it made to lift measures aimed at Iran's nuclear programme, US officials said. Iran's vice president on Saturday urged calm heads to prevail. "These are worn-out accusations against Iran and even the (accuser) himself is ashamed of saying it," state news agency IRNA quoted Eshagh Jahangiri as saying.
"If this nation is talked to respectfully and issues are resolved through negotiations and dialogue... it can be a win for everyone." But General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who is overseeing the drills, struck a more strident tone. "If the enemy makes a mistake, our missiles will land on them," he was quoted as saying by the Guards' official site.
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