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Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2015 Part 4-1-Iran-3- Beit-ul-Moqaddas

The Beit-ul-Moqaddas - Towards al-Quds1 -military drills will start in Isfahan on May 24

Apr 16, 2015 Iranian Army to Stage Military Drills in Isfahan Province in May

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Commander of Iran's Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said his forces are scheduled to stage 5 military drills during the current Iranian year, which began on March 21. The planned drills will be held in five different parts of the country, Pourdastan said in an interview with Al-Alam Arabic language news network. He explained that military exercises are held regularly proportional to the threats posed to Iran, including threats from asymmetric warfare and proxy wars.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari announced that Iran plans to stage military exercises in Isfahan province, Central Iran, in late May. "The Beit-ul-Moqaddas military drills will start in Isfahan on May 24," Brigadier General Heidari told FNA on Thursday. He pointed to the Iranian Armed

Forces' preparedness, and said, "The Iranian Ground Force has never been at such a high level of preparedness in its history as it is now."   Brigadier General Heidari stressed that Iran's foes would never dare to attack the country because they are afraid of the Islamic Republic's military might and preparedness. In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems. Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be

perceived as a threat to any other country. On Wednesday, the Iranian Ground Force unveiled five new home-made state-of-the-art weapons and military equipment, including Aqareb wheeled tank and a robot which can carry loads and launch missiles at hostile targets. The five new achievements went on display in a ceremony participated by Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan in Tehran. The new equipment includes Aqareb wheeled tank which is equipped with a 90-mm cannon and the latest generation of fire-control systems with an independent suspension system; an armed 4*4 robot which is capable of carrying two missiles and 600kg of load and conducting reconnaissance and combat missions with the operational range of 2km; and an ultra-light track vehicle which can travel at a maximum speed of 100km in bumpy roads and 130km in graveled roads with operational range of 400km. Also the new weapons include a 23mm sniper rifle and anti-helicopter weapon with the capability to penetrate into bulletproof surfaces which weighs 62kg and has a range of 4km. The 14.5-mm caliber Shaher sniper rifle with a cylinder magazine was another weapon which went on display today. Shaher weighs 24kg and has a range of 3km.

1 Al-Quds: The Arab Responsibility Towards Jerusalem

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The Iranian Army has unveiled new domestically-manufactured military equipment ahead of National Army Day.

The military hardware unveiled on Wednesday in the presence of Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan included the Aqareb wheeled battle tank and a robot as well as Baher and Shaher sniper guns.  The eight-wheeled Aqareb tank (also seen 2 - Iran made "Soumar" Land attack long range cruise missile ) - is equipped with a 90 mm-caliber cannon and can carry four

military personnel. Baher anti-aircraft sniper gun Baher, a 23 mm-caliber anti-aircraft gun, is also capable of penetrating bulletproof vests. It weighs 62 kilograms, has a range of four kilometers and is operated by a crew of three personnel. It also features a state-of-the-art fire control system, an independent suspension system and eight active wheels. The robot is capable of carrying two missiles and a load of up to 600 kilograms. It can carry out programmed operations and manage time. Baher, a 23 mm-caliber anti-aircraft gun, is also capable of penetrating bulletproof vests. It weighs 62 kilograms, has a range of four kilometers and is operated by a crew of three personnel.  Shaher is a 14.5mm sniper rifle, which has a maximum effective range of 3 kilometers. The 24-kilogram weapon is operated by three personnel. Among the military hardware unveiled was a single-seat, ultra-light combat vehicle that weighs 4 tons and has an effective operational radius of 400 kilometers.

2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3CQ4a9TRMA

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A senior Navy commander said on Wednesday the country's new submarine Fateh (Conqueror) is now in the final testing stage and will soon be delivered to the naval forces in the near future, Fars News Agency reported. - The 527-ton Fateh is said to be highly mobile with the capability to cruise fast and far in deep waters. It is also capable of firing torpedoes and laying mines. The indigenous submarine is considered a medium undersurface vessel whose weigh at depth increases to 593 tons. It is equipped with an advanced sonic radar system for identifying enemy vessels.- "Fateh has passed all stages of construction and the Defense Ministry is now undergoing final tests," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Gholamreza Khadem Bigham said. He said the submarine will join the Iranian Navy's fleet after passing the final factory, waterfront and sea tests. Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan ; "In area of hardware, we have built new weapons appropriate for these type of threats, and these weapons will go on display on April 18," he added. Also, in area of software, Iranian experts have studied new tactics in addition to the classic ones which were used during the Iraqi-imposed war (1980-1988), and our combat units have tried these new tactics, he added. Earlier in March, Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli announced Iran's plans to unveil a new home-made missile defense system, named 'Talash (Endeavor) 3', in mid April. "Talash 3 defense system will be unveiled on April 18 on the occasion of the Army Day (in Iran)," Esmayeeli said. The Soumar missile, as it is known in Iran, is a copy of the Soviet Kh-55, which was stolen from the Ukraine in 2001 and apparently reverse engineered in Iran. Tal Inbar, the head of space research at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, called the new cruise missile and the increased range it represents [2,500 kilometers] “a dramatic shift.”

Iran showcases domestically-developed defense achievementsSat Apr 18, 2015 9:59AM

Iran showcases different domestically-manufactured defense achievements for the first time on April 18, 2015. © IRNAIran has put on display different defense achievements, including its version of the missile S-300 system, developed by local experts.During Saturday parades by select units from Iran’s Armed Forces on the occasion of National Army Day, the domestically-manufactured Bavar-373 missile defense system, Rasoul (Messenger) and Fakour (Thoughtful) communications and commanding and smart control systems were displayed. The Bavar-373 long-range missile defense system, which is similar to the Russian S-300, has been manufactured by Iranian defense experts and is capable of hitting air targets at a high altitude.The Fakour commanding and smart control system has the ability to collect information from all sources relevant to air defense, including passive and active military radars, signal surveillance, missile systems and commanding and control systems.It can guide and control air-based and ground-based air defense systems in a completely tactical and independent way.The Rasoul advanced communications system is capable of encoding information, connecting the country’s infrastructure and transferring radar information from the battle scene to commanding centers. The parades were held to commemorate National Army Day, which marks the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army, in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani and military attaches of foreign embassies in Tehran.

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In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems. Iran has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.SF/NN/HRB

 How does sanctions-ridden Iran find a multibillion war chest to fund 6 armies fighting in 4 Mid East wars?DEBKAfile Special Expose April 24, 2015, According to figures reaching DEBKAfile in March, Iran is spending a vast fortune - up to an estimated $6-8 billion per year - to keep six armed forces fighting in four Middle East war campaigns for expanding its sphere of influence.  Month after month, Tehran forks out close to half a billion dollars - and sometimes more - to keep those conflicts on the boil. How Iran manages to keep this war chest flowing so abundantly from an economy crippled by international sanctions has never been explained.SyriaAs the Syrian war enters its fifth year, Iranian Revolutionary Guards are found to be running it from four command and control centers, our military and intelligence sources report:1. In Damascus, the IRGC operates as a part of the Syrian General Staff, with two imported pro-Iranian militias at its independent disposal. This command center has three tasks: To oversee the Syrian general staff and monitor its operational planning; to guard President Bashar Assad’s regime and his family; defend key locations such as the military airport and Shiite shrines, and keep the highways to Lebanon open.2.  In the Aleppo region of the north, IRGC officers were engaged in drawing up plans for a general offensive to rout rebel forces from positions they have captured in the city. Tehran attaches prime importance to a peak effort for the recapture of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. The IRGC command has transferred large-scale Hizballah forces from Lebanon to this arena, along with Afghan and Pakistani Shiite militias. Thousands of these combatants underwent training at specialist IRGC bases. Our military sources disclose that those militias recently took so many casualties that Iranian officers decided to hold off the Aleppo offensive.3.  In the Qalamoun Mts., which are situated athwart the Syrian-Lebanese frontier, Tehran has given high priority to flushing rebel forces, including the Nusra Front and the Islamic State, out of the pockets they have seized on the mountain slopes, so as to clear the mountain roads for the passage of Hizballah units. This offensive has also been delayed.4.  In South Syria, Iranian officers led a large-scale month-long drive to drive rebel forces out of the area they hold between Deraa and Damascus, in order to position Iranian-led Hizballah and pro-Iranian militia forces face to face with the Israeli army on the Golan. This drive has so far been stalled.Tehran establishes – and pays for - new Syrian army Iranian officers have established, trained and equipped a new 70,000-strong fighting force called the Syrian National Defense Force. Its operations, including the soldiers’ wages, are financed from Tehran’s pocket. Iran runs airlifts day by day to re-supply the Syrian army with weapons systems and ammunition, and the Syrian Air Force with bombs and ordnance for attacks against rebel forces – of late, mostly barrel bombs. Intelligence sources estimate that Iran’s expenditure in the Syrian conflict now hits $200 million per month – around $2.5 billion a year.Iran bankrolls Hizballah from top to bottom The 25,000-strong Lebanese Shiite Hizballah operates under the direct command of IRGC officers. All its military equipment comes from Tehran, which also draws up its annual budget. Each month, Iran transfers to Beirut $150-200 million, as well as paying for all the Lebanese militias’ expenses for maintaining an expeditionary force in Syria. Hizballah costs Tehran an approximate $2 billion per annum.An all-Shiite “people’s national army” for Iraq, re-supplies for Yemen

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Iran’s deep military intervention in Iraq includes the creation of an all-Shiite “people’s national army.” It follows the same template as the Syrian National Defense Force and consists of the same number of fighters – 70,000 troops.Tehran has also invested in barricades to fortify Baghdad against invasion from the north and the west. The offensive to retake the Sunni town of Tikrit from the Islamic State was led by Iranian officers, and fed constantly with high-quality weapons systems, including missiles and tanks. All the war materiel required by the Iraqi army and Shiite militias fighting the Islamic State is airlifted to Baghdad, some directly from Iran.There is no reliable estimate of the Islamic Republic’s current contribution to Iraq’s war budget (estimated at a quarter of a billion dollars per month) because part of the cost is carried by the Iraqi government from oil revenues. In Yemen, until Saudi Arabia and Egypt imposed an air and sea blockade a month ago, Iran ran supplies by air and sea to the Shiite Zaydi Houthis and their Yemeni army allies whom Tehran championed, sponsored and funded directly. The deployment of US warships in the Gulf of Aden this week put a stop to this traffic. But by then, Iran had sunk an estimated half a billion dollars in a Houthi victory.Sanctions are no bar to Iran’s ambitions This arithmetic is testimony to Iran’s mysteriously deep pockets. The sanctions the US, Europe and the United Nations clamped down on Tehran clearly had no effect on its willingness and ability to lay out fabulous sums to promote its ambitions as Middle East top dog.

Satellite Imagery Confirms Iran Deploying Additional UAVs along the Coast

April 30, 2015 By Chris Biggers Iran’s southern coastline remains an important deployment location for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).Satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe shows a probable Mohajer-4 UAV attached to a pneumatic rail launcher on the side of an unmarked airstrip located near a naval base at Konarak. The airstrip is located on the coast of Iran’s southeast-most province of Sistan and Baluchistan. Support vehicles and the associated ground control station were parked nearby.The development of the 600 meter-long airstrip was observed in late 2009 and the first aircraft hangar was built in early 2012 — the latter signaling the intention to support a regular deployment of UAVs at the airstrip. Iran announced in 2010 that it would equip all the country’s bases along the border with UAVs. Located in an ideal position to monitor shipping near Chahbahar, the UAVs may support the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy base less than 5 miles to the southeast. Various fast attack craft and Iranian auxiliary vessels are based at this facility. According to satellite imagery, Iran’s German-built Bander Abbas and Pakistan-built Delvar class boats have been consistently deployed to the base. Iran’s Ghadir coastal submarines, an export version of North Korea’s Yono class, have also made an appearance during naval exercises.

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In December 2011, up to six were deployed from Bander Abbas for Velayat-90, a 10-day military exercise in international waters spanning the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. Iranian UAVs probably support the base in maintaining situational awareness around areas of increasing economic importance. Last June, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari called the southern coast stretch along the Sea of Oman the country’s “Golden Gate”.

Chahbahar, the country’s only deep-water port, is located less than 10 nautical miles to the east and is currently in the process of being upgraded. Satellite imagery shows a cutter suction dredger reclaiming land for a new container terminal. Future plans would see the port become a major hub for Central Asian exports. China and India both have proposals for the site.Growing recognition of the region’s importance may eventually see further improvements to the airstrip, similar to those observed on Qeshm. Until that occurs, current infrastructure constraints suggest Iran probably deploys its smaller UAVs with short range and endurance from this location.

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