Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday, December 8, inspected the final stage of the military exercises that were code-named "Payrovan-e-Velayat" (followers of Velayat). The maneuvers were conducted over a region in southern part of the country...
In the final stage of the war-game, after the troop movement of the fictitious enemy and the transport of enemy forces by helicopter were detected, the rapid-deployment units of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces equipped with armored vehicles which were fully camouflaged entered into combat with the enemy, pounding its troops and positions with heavy artillery fire.
In the course of the operations, the bombers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force dropped bombs on the bunkers and trenches of the fictitious enemy forces, and the shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles were fired at the enemy's helicopters and equipment.
The Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Major General Salimi, told the Leader that the maneuvers, which were the greatest military exercises ever staged by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, were intended to evaluate the skill and experience of military officers and to test the performance of different military units.
Following the completion of the military exercises, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces made a speech, in which he offered condolences on the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Ja'far Sadegh (greetings be upon him), the sixth Imam of the Infallible Household of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his household).
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Imam Sadegh (greetings be upon him) made great efforts to disseminate knowledge, and that he was the paragon of perseverance in the way of Allah. The Leader stressed that such features should also be taken into consideration in the military areas and with regard to military exercises.
Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran evaluated the performance of the military units participating in the Paryovan-e-Velayat Maneuvers as "praiseworthy" and pointed out that staging such war-games would increase the preparedness of different military units.
Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Islamic Republic of Iran Army should conduct more such military exercises in order to enhance the readiness of their forces, and that they should apply new tactics and methods and introduce innovations in their military exercises.