Iran is testing its missile and radar systems in a military exercise one day after US President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on Tehran for a recent ballistic missile test.

Key points: Iranian state media says missiles, radars and cyber warfare systems to be tested

Iranian state media says missiles, radars and cyber warfare systems to be tested Armed forces aimed to "showcase power of Iran's revolution"

Armed forces aimed to "showcase power of Iran's revolution" Iranian commander says "missiles will fall on heads" if they see "enemy missteps"

The aim of the military exercise in the Semnan province is to "showcase the power of Iran's revolution and to dismiss the sanctions", according to the country's Revolutionary Guards website.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen since the last missile test prompted US President Donald Trump's administration to impose sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the Revolutionary Guards.

Mr Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn said that Washington had put Iran on notice over its "destabilising activity", while Mr Trump tweeted Tehran was "playing with fire".

But on Saturday a Revolutionary Guards commander said Iran would use its missiles if its security was under threat.

"We are working day and night to protect Iran's security," said Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Revolutionary Guards' aerospace unit.

"If we see [the] smallest misstep from the enemies, our roaring missiles will fall on their heads."

Despite the heated words, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday he was not considering raising the number of US forces in the Middle East to address Iran's "misbehaviour", but warned that the world would not ignore Iranian activities.

Iranian state news agencies reported that home-made missile systems, radars, command and control centres, and cyber warfare systems would be tested in the drill.

Iran has one of the Middle East's largest missile programs and held a similar exercise in December to showcase its defence systems, including radars, anti-missile defence units, and short and medium-range missiles.

'Iran is playing with fire': Trump

Tehran confirmed on Wednesday that it had test-fired a new ballistic missile, but said the test did not breach the Islamic Republic's nuclear agreement with world powers or a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the pact.

Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but the latest test was the first since Mr Trump entered the White House — Mr Trump said during his election campaign that he would stop Iran's missile program.

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The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and recommended the missile testing be studied at committee level — the new US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, called the test "unacceptable".

The Security Council resolution was adopted to buttress the deal under which Iran curbed its nuclear activities to allay concerns they could be used to develop atomic bombs, in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

The resolution urged Tehran to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons — critics said the resolution's language did not make this obligatory.

Tehran said it had not carried out any work on missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear payloads.

Reuters