A video grab from Al Alam television shows three of nine long- and medium-range missiles being fired during a test in Iran July 9, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Speaking at the induction ceremony for commanders of IRGC ground forces and Basij militia, Firouzabadi said that 31 provincial guards have been formed to fight off enemies' threats.
"Once, the country's adversaries were trying to attack Iran, but when they saw the Iranian nation consolidated and united, they changed their minds," Firouzabadi added.
In separate decrees, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Brigadier-General Mohammad Jafar Assadi as commander of IRGC's ground force, and Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb the new commander of the Basij force.
The new appointments of military commanders came after the IRGC held military exercises dubbed Payambar-e Azam 3 (Great Prophet 3) last week in response to threats from the United States and Israel.
During the recent military maneuvers, Iran test-fired new long-and medium-range missiles, including the upgraded Shahab 3 missile equipped with a one-ton conventional warhead and capable of hitting targets within a 2,000-km range.
