Iran tests naval missiles as part of fresh war games in Persian Gulf

The war games, which were given the moniker “Great Prophet 9,” began with “maritime mine operations by speedboats” and “the firing of coast-to-sea missiles” in the Persian Gulf.

By JPOST.COM STAFF

FEBRUARY 25, 2015 09:22

Iranian military personnel participate in war games in an unknown location near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran (photo credit: REUTERS) — Iranian military personnel participate in war games in an unknown location near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran

(photo credit: REUTERS)

The Iranian military staged a large-scale exercise in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, official state media reported.

The war games, which were given the moniker “Great Prophet 9,” began with “maritime mine operations by speedboats” and “the firing of coast-to-sea missiles” in the Persian Gulf, according to Press TV.

Last month, senior Iranian military officials continued to threaten “crushing responses” against Israel for the death of a top Revolutionary Guards officer in an airstrike on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

The attack also killed senior Hezbollah operatives, among them the son of the late arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh.

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command in the Revolutionary Guards, told Iranian state media that his troops are capable of firing Shahab-3 missiles on Israel.

“[Israel] should be waiting for crushing responses,” Salami is quoted as saying.

The Iranian officer said that the Golan attack was an attempt to “change the balance of power in Syria” and help “the takfirist,” a reference to the Islamist elements working to topple the government of Tehran’s key ally, President Bashar Assad.

“[The Golan strike] was the reflection of numerous defeats that both Americans and Israelis have suffered in their current strategies,” he said.

“They have seen IRGC’s reactions before, and [therefore] they are worried, and they will witness destructive thunderbolts in practice,” he said.