Iranian army begins massive air defense drill

TEHRAN - The Iranian Air Defense Force will stage massive five-day military exercises in southern parts of the country on Monday to display its might and boost its integrity and cohesiveness, a senior Iranian commander says.

The large-scale maneuvers, code-named Modafean Aseman Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7), will kick off on Monday over a vast area of nearly half a million square kilometers in the three provinces of Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Bushehr all the way east to Kerman Province, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, said at a press conference on Sunday.

He added that various units of the Army's Air Defense Forces and the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Air Force fighter jets, including F-4 Phantoms, will take part in the joint exercises.

The commander noted that more than 17,000 personnel of the Armed Forces will participate in the drills either directly or indirectly.

The maneuver will be held in the "most sensitive" area of the country, Esmaili said and warned extra-regional aircraft to stay out of the drill zone during the exercises.

He added that forces of the Iranian Army and the IRGC would deploy radar systems, electronic eavesdropping devices and low-, medium-, and high-altitude missiles during the massive maneuvers.

The commander said the drills would also include high-level electronic warfare.

Iran regularly conducts various drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

The Islamic Republic's military program has always been a point of concern for the world powers as they often show strong reaction against the country's missile tests, in particular.

But Tehran has repeatedly announced that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.