Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has revealed its latest drone, the Rezvan, codenamed Great Prophet 19, during ongoing military exercises. The IRGC said the drone, with a range of 20 kilometres and an operating time of 20 minutes, is designed for rapid deployment and targeting, especially in rugged terrain.

"Our drones have conducted several rounds of firing and drone strikes, and in our situation, we have successfully destroyed the imaginary enemies and terrorists who attacked Iranian bases," IRGC Ground Forces Commander Mohammad Pakpour spoke on the sidelines of the drill in the western Kermanshah province's Azgaleh region.

The suicide drone is launched from a cylindrical launcher and transmits live video to the operator, permitting detailed target selection and engagement, the IRGC media outlet Tasnim reported.

The Iranian military declared on Thursday that it will induct 1,000 new drones into its combat force in the coming days. The Iranian army and the Ministry of Defence jointly designed and manufactured the drones.

Brigadier General Kiomers Heydari, commander of the army’s ground forces, said that the new military equipment entering the army has abilities such as manoeuvrability, precision and smartness, but he did not provide details.

Iran has been running a series of military exercises in recent weeks, including air defence drills near nuclear facilities such as Natanz and the mobilisation of the 110,000-strong Basij in Tehran. 

IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami said that the continuing military drills will demonstrate the resilience of Iran in the face of external threats and will prompt enemies to reassess Iran’s defence capabilities. The statement is a tacit reference to the fall of Tehran’s longtime partner Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

“The drills aim to adjust and revise the enemies’ calculations of Iran’s defence capabilities so that they do not make decisions based on miscalculations,” Salami expressed. “Foreign developments do not affect our resilience.”

He discussed the enemies' efforts to portray Iran's defence capabilities as having declined, especially in light of the events in Syria. "The enemies have invested heavily in psychological and media operations, especially after the recent events in Syria, to create the impression that the Islamic Republic of Iran's defensive and deterrent capabilities have weakened and that Iran has lost its regional deterrent assets," he stated.

The Great Prophet 19 exercise is the latest in a series of exercises conducted by the Iranian military to demonstrate its powers and launch a message of resilience in the region, following a series of failures by its supporters since September.