Iran says Guards navy gets ‘large number’ of new missiles, drones

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military which has links to Tehran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East, played a key part in the Islamic republic’s first direct attack on Israel in April. Iranian state TV on Friday said that “a large number of new anti-ship cruise missiles were added to the IRGC naval forces by the order of the Guards chief.” The missiles “have new capabilities” with “high-explosive warheads and being untraceable,” it added.

According to the report, a total of 2,654 military systems including long-range and medium-range missiles, drones for combat and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare units were added to the Guards’ naval forces. IRGC chief General Hossein Salami, speaking at an event where some of the new weapon systems were showcased, stressed the importance of being able to “stop the enemy from afar.” “If we cannot engage with the enemy in the depths of the sea and oceans at any desired point and stop the enemy from afar, we will naturally have problems at our national borders,” he said. “In today’s world, one must either be strong in order to survive and be safe, or surrender. There is no middle way.”

The unveiling of the weapons came as the region, already affected by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since early October, was on high alert after Iran and its allies have vowed retaliation for the killing last week of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel, blamed by the Palestinian militant group, the Islamic republic and others for the attack, has not claimed responsibility for it. Following Haniyeh’s killing, Iranian officials and military commanders have promised to take action against Israel, while calls for regional de-escalation have grown. On Thursday, Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, told AFP that Israel had committed “a strategic mistake” and should “pay a price” for the Tehran attack.

Iran backs Hamas and has repeatedly hailed the group’s October 7 attack that triggered the Gaza war while denying any direct involvement. A series of tit-for-tat escalations since the start of the war, which has drawn in Iranian allies in Lebanon, Yemen and other parts of Middle East, led to Tehran launching hundreds of missiles and rockets directly at Israel in April. The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,699 people, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.