Iran holds exercises, launches rockets

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has launched several sophisticated rockets during military exercises, Iranian media reported Monday.

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, considered to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, said the launch of the “smart and advanced” rockets came during an annual threeday maneuver which began Monday in Iran’s central desert.

Later Monday, state TV showed footage of several rockets launching from the backs of trucks in the desert.

Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces, told the channel that rockets with ranges of more than 62 miles, as well as the Fajr-3, Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rockets, all believed to have a range under 62 miles, were all successfully tested in the exercise.

Earlier in February, the United States said it had put Iran “on notice” after the country test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile.