Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched underground ballistic missiles as part of a drill involving a fake U.S. aircraft carrier during military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the IRGC fired a missile from a helicopter targeting the same carrier.

Drones separately targeted the bridge of the fake carrier, according to state TV on July 29, which did not immediately broadcast footage of the launches or the drone attack, nor did it identify the missiles used in the drill.

The U.S. military said that ballistic missile fire detected from the exercise resulted in U.S. troops being put on alert at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Qatar. Troops sought cover during that time.

Iran conducted military drills in and around the Persian Gulf where they targeted a mock up of the USS Nimitz with missiles and displayed the fire power of their ballistic missiles launched from ‘hidden underground cities’ pic.twitter.com/uWsD2LSkeD

— Ali Arouzi (@aliarouzi) July 29, 2020

"The incident lasted for a matter of minutes and an all clear was declared after the threat ... had passed," said Central Command spokeswoman Beth Riordan.

Both bases are hundreds of kilometers away from where Iran put the replica aircraft carrier.

'Irresponsible and Reckless'

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been on the rise since 2018, when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy.

In January, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad. Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq.

Washington is also pressing for the extension of a yearslong UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October.

A recent incident over Syria involving an American jet fighter approaching an Iranian passenger plane has also renewed tensions.

Footage of the first day of drills broadcast on state television on July 28 showed a missile fired from a helicopter leaving a trail of smoke before appearing to smash into the side of the fake warship.

Other footage from the exercise dubbed Payambar-e Azam 14 (The Great Prophet) showed speedboats encircling the replica, commandos rappelling onto the deck of the vessel, and scuba forces underwater.

Antiaircraft batteries were seen firing from a location that the report described as being near the port city of Bandar Abbas.

Land-based trucks also launched missiles and troops used shoulder-fired missiles.

The U.S. Navy condemned the "irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran," calling it an attempt "to intimidate and coerce."

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