Iran holds military drill near Iraq border

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards conducted an overnight ground forces drill near the Iraqi border in the southwest of the country, state television reported today.

According to Reuters, the reports said tank divisions, drone units and paratroopers participated in the annual drill – dubbed the “Great Prophet” – that followed week-long celebrations marking the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Islamic Republic has recently conducted several military exercises as it seeks to push the United States to return to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Last month, Iran tested surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and short-range naval missiles, as well as a wide range of domestically produced drones.

US President Joe Biden, who took office last month, has said Washington will rejoin the deal that his predecessor Donald Trump abandoned “if Iran resumes strict compliance” with the agreement, which imposed strict curbs on Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Trump reinstated tough sanctions when he abandoned the accord in 2018. Iran has said Washington must rejoin the deal before it resumes compliance.

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