Zolfaghar-1400

The Zolfaghar-1400 is an annual war game of Iran military.

Zolfaghar-1400 in 2021

• In 2021, it was held in the coasts of Gulf of Oman. The air force units and the Iranian Navy participated in the exercise. The exercise was held in one million square kilometre area in the eastern regions of Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is highly important as 30% of world oil shipping passes through this strait.
• The exercise was held to improve the readiness of Iranian military to confront foreign threats.
• The 2021 Zolfaghar-1400 was conducted amidst the tensions between Iran and US. The tensions arose as US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA). Under the plan, Iran agreed to reduce its Uranium enrichments and US agreed to remove sanctions against Iran. After the US withdrawal, Iran claimed that it has stockpiled 20% enriched Uranium of 210 kilograms.
• The Zolfaghar drill was held in south eastern provinces of Iran namely Baluchestan, Hormozgan and Sistan, coasts of Makran.

Zolfaghar missile

The Zolfaghar is an Iranian short-range missile. It was unveiled in 2016. In June 2017, the Zolfaghar missile was used by the Iranians to strike targets in Syria. It is a single stage solid propellant missile capable of carrying 500 kilograms of explosives. Its striking range is 700-km. The new version of Zolfaghar is called Dezful. The Dezful was launched in 2019. The striking range of Dezful is 1000 km. The third missile based on Zolfaghar was the Qasem with a striking range of 1,400 kilometres.