TEHRAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has held its ninth intelligence drill, Fars news agency reported.

The exercise was held in the provinces of West Azarbaijan, Kurdistan, Markazi, Lorestan and Zanjan.“The main goal of the exercise was to increase the level of preparedness of the intelligence and security apparatuses, as well as eliminating the existing deficiencies, increasing the progress to deal with the enemy's intelligence services and improve the level of intelligence readiness,” IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami said on the sidelines of the extensive intelligence exercise in western provinces.Noting that evil powers have been trying to disrupt the security of Iran during the past four decades, he said, “In this exercise, real conditions were simulated and the most advanced and up-to-date tools of intelligence, new techniques of obtaining intelligence, and intelligence experiences of the IRGC have been used.”In another part of his remarks, the IRGC commander-in-chief pointed to the valuable actions of the Hamza Seyed al-Shaheda camp in establishing security in the northwest of the country, saying that today this operational camp has become an impenetrable barrier against the enemies. “We have witnessed the establishment of security and stability in the northwestern borders of the country,” he added.