Iran's Revolutionary Guards test-fired a new surface-to-air missile defense system imported from Russia on Wednesday, the first day of an ongoing two-day drills, the local ISNA news agency reported.

The report quoted Hossein Salami, a Revolutionary Guards commander, as saying that "Iranian Revolutionary Guards defense doctrine was based on the military strategy of deterrence, and we have test-fired the new modern of Tor-M1 air defense missile systems within that framework."

"Our forces have received this system to enhance the defense capabilities," he added.
 
Salami also disclosed the excellent performance of Tor-M1, saying "it is capable of responding small aircraft with high maneuver and speed abilities and cruise missiles, and in less than a second it is ready to spot and be launched again".

"This system can hit targets accurately and is able to immune itself against diversions carried out by radars and be successful in electronic war," he stressed.

The state-run television also showed videos of the test. It can be seen that several missiles from the Tor-M1 defense system being fired in the desert from locomotive launchers and then successfully hit their targets in the sky.

Missile units of the air and naval forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched a new round of two-day drills on Wednesday.

The war game is being conducted in southern and central parts of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and missile interception and test-fire will be included in the war game, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Russia and Iran signed a US$700 million contract for the delivery of 29 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems in 2005. The systems have been delivered to Iranian forces recently.

However, the US government has notified the Russian authorities of its dissatisfaction over the deliveries of air defense systems to Iran, saying "it was a mistake since the United Nations imposed sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile industry due to its refusal to halt enrichment program".

But Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in January that the delivery was in accordance with norms of the international law.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov also stressed on Jan. 16 that exports of the Tor-M1 systems did not violate UN resolutions related with sanctions against Iran.

According to Russian media, Tor-M1 is touted as the only system in the world capable of detecting and tracking up to 48 targets simultaneously and engaging two of them simultaneously at a height of 20 to 6,000 meters.

Tor-M1 systems are usually used to protect vital administrative, economic and military facilities and the first echelons of ground units from anti-radar and cruise missiles, remote-controlled aircraft, glide bombs, airplanes and helicopters, including those using the stealth technology.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2007)