The Iranian army has been launching mock attacks and testing weapons in the Persian Gulf. Revolutionary Guards commander General Hossein Salami told TV outlets that the army was executing these practice attacks to demonstrate that the Iranian army will stand to protect their nation. These practice attacks have been going on for almost two weeks in the Persian Gulf. The army has taken down mock enemy shifts in the Indian Ocean, and continues to launch missiles. Iran has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, which has been and continues to be a point of concern for other countries, including the United States.
The timing for this demonstration of arms doesn’t seem coincidental, as the Trump administration’s rule comes to an end this week. The relations between the US and Iran worsened after President Trump decided to withdraw from the Tehran nuclear deal made in 2015 after Iran had breached its agreements a few too many times. President Elect Joe Biden has stated that he is willing to reenter the deal, as long as Iran agrees to new terms. This series of violent practices and demonstrations seems to be an attempt at a reminder to countries across the world that Iran is a country with military power, and they aren’t hesitant to use it.
From a realist perspective, military power is extremely important when it comes to global status. It’s necessary for a country to have the technology and the means to dominate in war and conflict, therefore dominating on the global scale. These demonstrations are a show of dominance from the Iranian government, and a reminder to other states across the global arena that Iran is not a country to make an enemy of. This is an example of the realist principle of dominance, as by performing these mock battles, Iran is showing their capabilities of dominating in the militaristic realm of global affairs.