Iran Launches Live Fire Drills In Gulf, Flexing Reconstituted Missile Arsenal
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Navy launched ballistic and cruise missiles at mock targets in the Persian Gulf on Friday as part of an announced two-day military drill designed to demonstrate its readiness against external threats, state media indicates, at a time the region is still on edge following the last June 12-day war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Tehran is seeking to signal to its enemies that it has both regrouped and reconstituted its missiles and military assets after many hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles - including potentially hypersonic projectiles - were expended against Israel.
The new exercise includes 'live fire' drills, as the navy is launching volleys of ballistic and cruise missiles aimed at targets in the Oman Sea, state media reported on Friday. State media has identified that Qadr 110, Qadr 380 and Qadir cruise missiles, along with the 303 ballistic missile, have also been fired from inside Iran against sea targets off the coast.
Drone waves are also being deployed again mock enemy bases and targets, with part of the exercises focused on how to quickly respond to aerial threats against fast boats and coastal positions. One new aspect to the drills is that commanders are now touting AI-based operational capabilities.
Iran's military has been busy seeking to demonstrate its capabilities of late, as earlier this week Iran conducted an anti-terrorism exercise in East Azerbaijan province alongside members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Press TV said the drills are a warning to adversaries that "any miscalculation would receive a decisive response."
According to some recent conclusions in the wake of the June war, the establishment think tank Soufan Center writes:
- Iran shows no signs of altering its core policies despite the damage done by Israel and the United States to Iran’s strategic architecture.
- A continuation of Iran’s existing policies is unlikely to bring the sanctions relief that moderate leaders such as elected President Masoud Pezeshkian deem vital to addressing economic deterioration.
- Iran is resisting Trump’s pressure to dismantle its uranium enrichment infrastructure while leaving the door open to renewed diplomacy with the U.S. and its European allies.
- Tehran is developing new methods and routes to resupply its Axis of Resistance partners, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.
On Friday Iranian lawmaker Fada-Hossein Maleki was quoted in international press reports as saying that the Trump administration had reached out, saying the US is open to new negotiations. He said whether to engage or not is the Supreme Leader's final decisions, while noting that "we tried every path, but in the end it led to war and the wall of distrust only grew higher."
Iranian state media put out footage of the new Gulf area drills Friday:
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy fired ballistic and cruise missiles at simulated targets in the Gulf during a two-day exercise meant to counter foreign threats.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 5, 2025
The drills included mass launches of Qadr-series cruise and ballistic missiles, along with drone strikes on mock… pic.twitter.com/fUWN5d1tHp
Maleki warned that Iran remains ready for any possible escalation. "We are far more prepared than before," he said. Maleki admitted that while Iran suffered significant losses in the opening hours of the June surprise attack from Israel, at least "the enemy knows our readiness now."