Iran holds military drills after US sanctions

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (RGC) Saturday launched military drills east of the capital Tehran, one day after the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Tehran.

The military exercise aims to show Iran’s military prowess and the readiness of its forces to counter threats, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

According to the agency, various kinds of radar and missile systems are being used in the drill.

On Friday, the Trump administration blacklisted 13 individuals and 12 companies connected to a recent Iranian ballistic missile test.

The economic penalties were the first official action taken against Tehran after National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said the U.S. was officially "putting Iran on notice" for the ballistic missile test and Tehran’s support for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Iran, for its part, blasted the sanctions as illegal and vowed to counter them.