Iranian Drill Enters 3rd Day: We Aim to Boost Defense Capabilities

Local Editor

The top Iranian commander confirmed that "the major ongoing war drills being conducted by the Iranian Army are merely geared to maintaining and boosting the military's defense capabilities and combat readiness."

The reason why Iran is carrying out the maneuvers "is not that the country has felt a threat," but is simply to improve the Army's capabilities, said Air Force Spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush.

He said the Army is upgrading its defense potential, so that it will be able to maintain its readiness to counter any possible threat if need be.

"In these drills, Iran is putting to the test and drawing on the experience it gained during the eight-year [Iraqi imposed] war," the top commander added.
He reiterated that the military exercises involve domestically-developed and renovated military hardware, including aircraft, missiles and vessels.
The Iranian Army has started the third day of major military exercises code-named Mohammad Rasoulallah [Mohammad, the Messenger of God] in southern parts of the country to display Iran's military prowess.

The third day of the war games launched on Saturday in an area covering 2.2 million square kilometers stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz all the way to the 10th parallel north in the north of the Indian Ocean.

Various fixed and tactical radars, visual surveillance, electronic eavesdropping sites and different artillery as well as control and missile systems will also be deployed at this phase.
In the second phase of the military exercises on Friday involving various units of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, different defense systems, including newly-developed ones, were tested.

During the first stage of the six-day military drill on Thursday, different ground units, fighter jets and air defense systems were stationed in the southeastern part of the country. Various marine, surface, and subsurface vessels were also deployed in the Sea of Oman.
The joint drills by Iranian Army's ground, naval, and air forces are backed by Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.

Different types of military hardware and weapons are deployed both in the water and on land during the drill, which is the largest of its kind in the region.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team