Iran's army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched joint aerial drills in the southern waters of the country on Friday, official IRNA news agency reported.

The drills are conducted in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman ahead of Iran's major military parade on Saturday to mark the Holy Defense Week.

The Holy Defense Week is held in Iran every year with reference to the beginning of Iran-Iraq war in 1980 which lasted for eight years.

According to the report, in the maneuver, military aircraft including fighter jets F-4, Sukhoi-22, and Tucano, as well as helicopter gunships, such as the Chinook, would participate.

The drills aim to enhance the country's combat preparedness as well as demonstrate Iran's capabilities in the face of threat, said the army's Information and Public Relations Deputy Yousuf Safipour.

Also, the deputy commander of the Army's Air Force, Amir Vahedi, said on the sidelines of the drill that "currently, no country in the region is capable of confronting us at all. We are strong defenders in the face of aggression, and will make aggressors regret their incursion," Press TV reported.

Despite the enemies' desire to create division between the two Iranian military forces, namely the army and the IRGC, they have maintained optimal coordination and synergy with each other in ensuring the security of the country and its people, Vahedi was quoted as saying.

The IRGC spokesman Ramezan Sharif also said that one of the objectives of the drills is to showcase Iran's armed forces' readiness to defend the country's interests in the strategic region of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

600 naval vessels and dozens of fighter planes will participate In the military parade, which is to be held simultaneously in the capital Tehran and the coastal city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday.

(Cover: Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets of the Iranian army fly past during a military parade to commemorate army day in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2008. /Reuters Photo)