Iran launches Air Force exercise
Iranian news agency Fars reports Iranian anti-aircraft units engage in wide scale drill aimed as boosting force's readiness
The Iranian Air Force launched an extensive aerial exercise aimed at boosting military readiness, the Iranian news agency Fars reported Monday.
General Ahmad Mighani, of the Iranian Air Force, was quoted as saying that "if Iran is attacked, it will deliver a crushing blow to the enemy…we will surprise the enemy and make them regret they attacked."
Fars went on to report that the drill "now spans more than half the provinces in the country." In a press conference held my Mighani, the general informed reporters that all of the Iranian Air Force's antiaircraft units were taking part in the drill, and that the dozens of planes and jets taking part in the drill are "breaking in new equipment, trying out new strategies and doing what needs to be done to increase readiness."
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Sunday that the drill, held by the air force and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards was meant to improve the "defensive, tactical and operational abilities of the forces."
The drill is taking place against the backdrop of growing concerns Tehran has that the US or Israel may choose to strike it nuclear facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to release its latest report on the Iranian nuclear program later Monday. Over the past four years, the IAEA has been unable to determine whether or not Iran's nuclear program is actually civilian use-oriented, as it has consistently claimed.
The West is concerned that Iran is actually trying to covertly develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran and categorically denied the allegations.
The Iranians often boast about their technological and military capabilities, but the reports rarely coincide with their actual capabilities. The tactic is believed to be used as a deterrent factor against anyone planning to attack Iran.
