TEHRAN: Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard would conduct military drills next week, a senior commander announced Saturday, despite warnings from the United States and fresh sanctions over a ballistic missile test. “The exercises called ‘Grand Prophet 11’ would start from Monday and last three days,” Commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s ground units General Mohammad Pakpour, stated in a conference. He said rockets would be used without specifying their kind. In early February, Iran conducted drills involving short-range missiles at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. The Islamic republic said the exercises were aimed at demonstrating Iran’s complete preparedness to deal with potential threats and humiliating sanctions from Washington. US President Donald Trump slapped fresh sanctions against Tehran’s weapons procurement network following a ballistic missile test on January 29. “Iran would do well to look at the calendar and realise there’s a new president in the Oval Office.and Iran would do well not to test the resolve of this new president,” Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this month. New Pentagon chief James Mattis, for his part, has branded Iran “the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world”. Iranian officials have rejected the threats emphasising that the missile programme is purely defensive.