TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Force concluded its hosting of a five-day multinational military exercise on Iranian soil, with drills that not only sent a message to terrorist factions in the region but also delivered a political message to Western states seeking to isolate and stigmatize the unit.

Codenamed "Sahand 2025," the drills united forces from across the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from December 1 to December 5. All ten SCO countries (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus) dispatched troops or representatives, while four other nations, including Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Oman, and Iraq, sent observers.

Exercises were mainly conducted at the Imam Zaman Mechanized Brigade base in Shabestar County, located in Iran's northwestern East Azerbaijan Province.

Tactical commanders speaking to The Tehran Times said the drills involved complex, multi-phase operations designed to simulate real-world threats.

The exercises comprised four major phases: intelligence units conducted precise monitoring to identify simulated enemy movements; drone units executed targeted strikes on identified positions; helicopter units carried out aerial assaults to neutralize threats at depth; special units performed a rapid heliborne insertion to free hostages taken by simulated "white elements"; and finally, teams conducted final area clearance operations to establish lasting security. The drills featured weaponry and military equipment from each participating nation.

Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, said Iran’s expansive presence was "a source of pride" and a symbol of "deep strategic cooperation." He emphasized Iran's readiness to share hard-earned counter-terrorism experience "without limitation" with partner states.

Analysts and on-the-ground commanders hailed the maneuvers as a military success. However, another significant aspect of the drills was the rhetoric surrounding them, which emphasized shared purpose, mutual respect, and a collective stand against unilateral Western dictates.

"Independent countries are firmly determined to defend themselves against an unjust global order," said Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on the first day of the drill.

When it comes to Iran and the role of the IRGC, analysts pointed out that the Sahand drill demonstrated Western attempts at disparaging the IRGC had achieved little to no success.

The United States designated the entire IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2019 – the first time a formal part of another government received such a label. Canada followed suit, and Australia became the latest Western bloc country to blacklist the IRGC, making the move last month. Motions for similar designations have been advanced in the United Kingdom and the European Union, mostly by pro-Israeli Zionist groups. The West says Iran must end its support of Resistance groups that fight Israeli occupation and aggression across West Asia.

The blacklisting has not affected Iran’s ability to arm itself and develop its defense capabilities, as the country has built a domestic military industry over the past four decades. It does, however, appear to have pushed the country deeper into alliances with non-Western powers, which increasingly find themselves at odds with the West over its unilateral measures. Russia, for instance, is currently fighting the West in Ukraine, and China is locked in a tussle with the West over the sovereignty of its breakaway province, Taiwan. There are fears of an eventual military confrontation in Taiwan as well. India, too, is finding itself at a growing distance from the West over economic and trade issues that could eventually spread to the military domain.

In remarks to the Tehran Times, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, said Iran’s hosting of the Sahand drills was an action for “alignment and coalition-building in line with a new architecture for regional security."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has been one of the main victims of terrorism and has always been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, with valuable experience in confronting all its forms and dimensions. We provided a platform for the transfer and synergistic exchange of experiences among SCO member states in this regard," he explained.