General Vali Ma’dani, the IRGC Ground Force’s deputy for operations, said at a press briefing on Tuesday that Iran’s Armed Forces are proud to hold the Sahand-2025 anti-terror exercise after two years, hosted by the IRGC Ground Force in East Azarbaijan Province.
The commander noted that one year ago, Iran submitted the operational plan for the drill to the SCO’s anti-terrorism committee, adding that the operational proposal was approved after specialized reviews and a five-day presentation of plans in Uzbekistan.
General Ma’dani noted that Iran is the fourth country to host this exercise.
The countries participating in the drill are Iran, Belarus, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, while Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan Republic, and Iraq are attending as guests, the general stated.
He added that senior military and security officials from the SCO member states are present, including 20 security officials, 60 staff commanders, and 40 operational unit commanders.
The commander explained that the exercise lasts five days, with the main phase beginning today and continuing for three days. He added that live ammunition will be used throughout all five stages of the drill.
Sahand-2025 is the first field-operation exercise of its kind conducted on Iranian soil, and the IRGC Ground Force is honored to assume responsibility for it based on its battlefield experience, the general said.
Hailing the IRGC as an architect of counterterrorism in the world that has been always prepared to cooperate with other countries in this field, General Ma’dani said terrorism is now a global threat without borders.
An outcome of the drill will be the enhancement of counterterrorism knowledge among commanders from various countries, he stated, adding that other objectives of the exercise include synergy in confronting terrorism and strengthening interaction and cooperation among member states.