Tehran: Iranian air defence forces began on Sunday five days of manoeuvres involving simulated attacks on
the country's nuclear sites, state-owned Press TV and Al-Alam
television channels reported.
The manoeuvres were announced yesterday by Brigadier
General Ahmad Mighani, head of army air defence, who said the
main aim is to thwart aerial threats on Iran's nuclear
facilities from reconnaissance to actual assault posed by an
imaginary enemy.
The war games would also help improve cooperation among
different units, he added.
"Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is
our duty to defend out nation's vital facilities and thus this
manoeuvre covers Bushehr, Fars, Isfahan, Tehran and western
provinces," Mighani said.
"Our unit will be in charge of the manoeuvre but there
will be units from the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij
(militia)," he added.
Iran's still unoperational nuclear plant is in the
southern Bushehr province while its uranium enrichment plants
are in Isfahan and near Tehran.
The West believes Iran's enrichment work is masking an
atomic weapons programme but Tehran insists it is purely for
generating electricity.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 20:39