Iran’s Guard Holds Ballistic Missile Drill

FILE - Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard march during a parade in Tehran, Sept. 22, 2011. Reuters
FILE - Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard march during a parade in Tehran, Sept. 22, 2011. Reuters
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Iran’s Guard Holds Ballistic Missile Drill

FILE - Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard march during a parade in Tehran, Sept. 22, 2011. Reuters
FILE - Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard march during a parade in Tehran, Sept. 22, 2011. Reuters

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces on Friday held a military exercise involving ballistic missiles and drones in the country's central desert, state TV reported, amid heightened tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

In the first phase of the drill Friday morning, the Guard’s aerospace division launched several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles against simulated enemy bases, state TV reported. It said the drill included Zolfaghar and Dezful solid-fuel ballistic missiles. Bomb-carrying drones were also deployed.

The Dezful, a version of the Zolfaghar, has a 700-kilometer range and 450-kilogram warhead.

In recent weeks, Iran has increased its military drills. On Wednesday, Iran’s navy held a two-day short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman. On Saturday, the Revolutionary Guard held a naval parade in the Arabian Gulf. A week earlier, Iran held a massive drone maneuver across half the country.

Tensions are again rising in the waning days of the administration of President Donald Trump, as Iran ramps up pressure on the West over the US sanctions campaign against Tehran.

Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran’s ballistic missile program among other issues in withdrawing from the accord.

When the US then increased sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.



Iran Calls Nuclear Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ after Israeli Strikes

A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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Iran Calls Nuclear Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ after Israeli Strikes

A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday called further nuclear talks with the United States “meaningless” after Israeli strikes on the country, state television said.

The comments by Esmail Baghaei further threw possible talks between the two nations, initially scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman, into doubt.

“The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran’s red lines by committing a “criminal act” through its strikes.

However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran’s judiciary, quoted him as saying: “It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday talks.”

US President Donald Trump on Friday urged Iran to quickly reach an agreement on curbing its nuclear program.

Trump framed the volatile moment in the Middle East as a possible "second chance” for Iran's leadership to avoid further destruction "before there is nothing left and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”

The Republican president pressed on Iran as he met his national security team in the Situation Room to discuss the tricky path forward following Israel's devastating strikes, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to keep up for “as many days as it takes” to decapitate Iran's nuclear program.