Iran to hold air defense drill
IRNA reports Islamic Republic to stage war games next week in order to display military capabilities
Iran plans to hold air defense manoeuvers involving both its elite Revolutionary Guards and the regular armed forces, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
It said the war games would be staged during the Iranian week that started on Saturday but did not give any further details.
Iran often holds defense drills and announces advances in military capabilities in a bid to show its readiness to counter any military threats over its disputed nuclear program.
The last drill took place on Yom Kippur Eve. The Revolutionary Guards' Air Force Commander, General Hossein Salami, said that the exercise's objective was to "present the will of the great Iranian nation and to safeguard its revolutionary and national aspirations."
Meanwhile, representatives of six world powers urged Iran on Friday to accept a UN plan aimed at delaying its ability to build a nuclear weapon, as the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency warned
Tehran not to miss the opportunity to resolve the dispute.
Under the IAEA plan, Iran would export its uranium for enrichment in Russia and France where it would be converted into fuel rods, which would be returned to Iran about a year later. The rods can power reactors but cannot be readily turned into weapons-grade material.
