Iran's Army Ground Force Plans Deployment of New Missile Types

An Iranian missile being transported in Syria. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An Iranian missile being transported in Syria. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
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Iran's Army Ground Force Plans Deployment of New Missile Types

An Iranian missile being transported in Syria. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
An Iranian missile being transported in Syria. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

Iranian Army Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari announced on Saturday the completion of development for two new types of missiles, with mass production set to commence soon.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces has approved these missiles, to be unveiled shortly, and “substantial quantities” are being prepared for production, stated Heidari.

While the ground forces are not planning extensive maneuvers in the upcoming months, Heidari mentioned deploying missile units along the border to enhance readiness. This move, he clarified, is not in response to a specific threat but aims to maintain preparedness, intelligence dominance, and familiarity with the country's border geography.

Heidari revealed that 11 mobile and combat brigades have been stationed at the borders.

“By spring, the army's ground forces plan to carry out limited maneuvers,” he said, detailing the new deployment structure consisting of ten units on the borders, five drone platoons, and five missile units.

Discussing the “successful” maneuver conducted in October as part of the Eghtedar 1402 military exercise, Heidari highlighted the participation of infantry regiments, armored divisions, missile and artillery units, the Ground Force airborne division, drone units, electronic warfare units, and support teams from the Air Force.

According to a report from Mehr News Agency, the maneuvers focused on "addressing threats and anticipating changes in the combat organization of the army’s ground forces."

Revenge to ‘Kerman’

In another context, Heidari pledged to avenge the Jan. 3 terrorist bombings in the southeastern city of Kerman and that the enemies “would face punishment for their heinous actions.”

The twin bombings in Kerman have killed 91 people and injured around 300 others.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the two explosions in the crowd that gathered at a memorial for al-Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020.

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said later on it identified the mastermind behind the bombings at a cemetery in Kerman, also announcing the arrest of 35 individuals suspected of involvement in the attacks.

Communications intercepts collected by the United States confirmed that ISIS Afghanistan-based branch carried out the twin bombings in Iran, two sources familiar with the intelligence told Reuters.

"The intelligence is clear-cut and indisputable," one source said.



Vatican Holds 'Cordial' Talks with Vance after Criticisms of Trump Policies

Vice President JD Vance during the visit to the botanical garden of Trastevere, in Rome, Italy, 19 April 2025.  EPA/ANGELO CARCONI
Vice President JD Vance during the visit to the botanical garden of Trastevere, in Rome, Italy, 19 April 2025. EPA/ANGELO CARCONI
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Vatican Holds 'Cordial' Talks with Vance after Criticisms of Trump Policies

Vice President JD Vance during the visit to the botanical garden of Trastevere, in Rome, Italy, 19 April 2025.  EPA/ANGELO CARCONI
Vice President JD Vance during the visit to the botanical garden of Trastevere, in Rome, Italy, 19 April 2025. EPA/ANGELO CARCONI

US Vice President JD Vance went to the Vatican on Saturday to meet senior Catholic Church officials who have been sharply critical of his administration's policies, in the first such in-person talks of the second Trump presidency.
Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with Pope Francis over US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, and his chief deputy.
The two sides had "cordial talks" that included "an exchange of opinions on the international situation," according to a Vatican statement after the meeting.
Vance and Parolin spoke "especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners," the statement read.
Vance said in a statement that he and the cardinal had discussed Catholicism in the US, the issue of persecuted Christians in the world, and "President Trump's commitment to restoring world peace".
Francis, who is limiting his public appearances on doctors' orders as he recovers from double pneumonia, did not take part in the meeting, Reuters reported. Vance is visiting Italy over the Easter weekend.
The pope, Parolin and other Vatican officials have criticized several Trump administration policies, including Trump's plans to deport millions of migrants from the US and his widespread cuts to foreign aid and domestic welfare programs.
"This visit takes place in a delicate moment," said Massimo Faggioli, an Italian academic at Villanova University who has followed the papacy closely. "This relationship with the US is a very high priority right now for the Vatican."
Francis has called the Trump administration's immigration crackdown a "disgrace". Vance, who became Catholic in 2019, has cited medieval-era Catholic teaching to justify the immigration crackdown.
The pope rebutted the theological concept Vance used to defend the crackdown in an unusual open letter to the US Catholic bishops about the Trump administration in February, and called Trump's plan a "major crisis" for the US.
"What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly," the pope said then.
Vance first visited the Vatican on Thursday to attend a religious ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica with his family.
The Catholic Church's worldwide charity arm has called the Trump administration's funding cuts to US foreign aid programs "catastrophic" in terms of its impact on the developing world.
The US Catholic bishops' conference announced this month that, due to Trump administration cuts, it would end a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to provide services to migrant and refugee populations.
Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the US bishops, told Reuters that Parolin, the Vatican cardinal, is "well-informed of the challenges faced by the Church and her institutions here" in the US.
"We pray that the meeting yields positive and engaging dialogue," she said.
The Vatican statement said that, during the Vance and Parolin meeting, "hope was expressed for serene collaboration" between the US church and government.