Iran holds fresh military drill one day before Biden's inauguration

Iran holds fresh military drill involving paratroopers, fighter jets, helicopters and tanks as regime ramps up pressure on Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration

  • Iran has launched the latest in a series of snap military exercises this year, according to state TV in the country
  • It comes just days after an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile drill in a central desert last week
  • Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high as the Trump administration enters its final days 
  • President-elect Joe Biden has signalled a less hawkish approach to Iran, pledging to rejoin the nuclear deal

Iran’s military has kicked off a ground forces drill along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, the latest in a series of snap exercises amid escalating tensions over the country’s nuclear programme and Washington’s pressure campaign against Tehran.

State TV reported that commando units and airborne infantry were participating in the annual exercise, along with fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft.

The drill, overseen by Iran’s National Army chief Sayeed Abdelrahim Mousavi, comes four days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out ballistic missile drills in a central desert region and just one day before the inauguration of US president-elect Joe Biden.

Iran’s military kicked off a ground forces drill along the coast of the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday featuring tanks and paratroopers

Tuesday’s drill is the latest in a series of snap exercises amid escalating tensions over the country’s nuclear programme and relationship with the United States

State TV reported that commando units and airborne infantry were participating in the annual exercise, along with fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft

Tuesday’s drill (pictured) was overseen by Iran’s National Army chief Sayeed Abdelrahim Mousavi and comes just four days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out ballistic missile drills in a central desert region

Biden is expected to take a less hawkish approach towards Iran and has pledged to rejoin a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

The deal was signed under President Barack Obama but his successor, President Donald Trump, withdrew the US from the treaty in 2018, reimposing sanctions on Iran and pursuing a ‘maximum pressure’ policy towards the country.

In response, Iran has gradually abandoned the limits the deal set on its nuclear development. 

Paratroopers are seen during a military drill in Iran on Tuesday, one day before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden

Biden is expected to take a less hawkish approach towards Iran and has pledged to rejoin a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Pictured: Paratroopers during an Iranian military drill on Tuesday

The drill comes as Iran has been flexing its military might in the final days of the Trump administration. Pictured: Paratroopers glide down to land during the drill on Tuesday

Tuesday’s drill is the latest in a series of military exercises by Iran. On Friday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace division launched surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones against ‘hypothetical enemy bases’. Pictured: A paratrooper lands during a drill by the Iranian military on Tuesday

On Saturday, the IRGC launched anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target at a distance of some 1,800 kilometres (1,120miles) in the Indian Ocean, a day after the Guard’s aerospace division launched surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones against ‘hypothetical enemy bases’.

The drill on Friday was notable for the presence of wedge-shaped suicide drones that strongly resemble the craft used to attack a Saudi oil facility in 2019. The attack was blamed on Iran, which has always denied any involvement. 

Analysts say the IRGC drills are often used as a show of strength and as a deterrent to Iran’s regional and international enemies.  

Iran’s National Army chief Sayeed Abdelrahim Mousavi (right) and General Kiumars Heidari (left) overseeing Tuesday’s military drill

Several tanks took part in the military drill on Tuesday, which came just one day before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden

Tuesday’s military drill followed similar exercises by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps last week. Analysts say the IRGC drills are often used as a show of strength and as a deterrent to Iran’s regional and international enemies. Pictured: Paratroopers get ready to jump in Tuesday’s military drill

Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high in the final days of the Trump administration after Iran seized a South Korean tanker and the US sent heavy weaponry to the region. Pictured: A tank during Tuesday’s military drill

Last Thursday, the Islamic republic’s navy fired cruise missiles as part of a drill in the Gulf of Oman, under the surveillance of what appeared to be a US nuclear submarine.

While earlier that week, the Guard’s affiliated forces carried out a limited military manoeuvre in the Persian Gulf.

This  followed a massive, drones-only drill across half of the country earlier in January.

Tanks roll across a dirt track near the Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman during a military exercise on Tuesday, conducted by the Iranian Army

Debris from explosions fills the sky during the annual exercise, carried out by the Iranian military near the coast of the Gulf of Oman

Army ground forces watch planes during the military drill on Tuesday, which comes amid high tensions between Tehran and Washington

An Iranian Army soldier flashes a victory sign during military exercises on Tuesday that involved tanks and paratroopers

Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high in the final days of the Trump administration as the fate of the nuclear deal hangs in the balance. 

Iran has begun enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels and on January 4 seized a tanker from South Korean – an important US ally in Asia.

For its part, the US sent B-52 bombers, the USS Nimitz aircraft and a nuclear submarine into the region.  

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