Iran holding large-scale air-defence war games

• Last Updated: November 21. 2009 11:06PM UAE / November 21. 2009 7:06PM GMT

TEHRAN // Iran will begin large-scale air defence war games today aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from possible attack, a senior military commander said yesterday, reflecting the country’s concern that Israel could make good on threats to strike militarily.

The five-day drill will involve Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard and the regular army and will cover about 600,000 sq km of central, western and southern Iran, said air force Gen Ahmad Mighani.

As Iran has pressed forward with its nuclear programme, Israel has repeatedly threatened military action to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The US also has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities. Washington and its European allies suspect Iran aims to use a civilian nuclear programme as cover to produce weapons, and Iran has effectively rejected a new UN proposal aimed at easing those concerns.

Tehran denies any intention to make nuclear weapons and says it only wants to generate power.

The defence drill will involve an attack by airplanes representing a hypothetical enemy.

“Reconnaissance enemy planes will violate our air space and try to disrupt electronic and radar systems, identify sensitive facilities, take photos and … attack air defence sites,” Gen Mighani said, according to a state TV report. “And our air defence system will confront the intruding planes.” A planned key component of Iran’s air defences, an anti-aircraft missile system from Russia, has yet to be delivered.

Gen Mighani criticised Russia, saying the delay in the S-300 missiles was apparently the result of Israeli pressure, not technical issues, as Moscow claims.

Israel and the United States have opposed the missile deal out of fear Iran could use the system to significantly boost defences at its nuclear sites – including its main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.

Gen Mighani said the missiles were supposed to have been delivered several months ago.

Israeli military and government officials refused to comment on the planned war games.

Iran restructured its military this year in an effort to improve its air defences. The changes were seen as part of a broader focus on bolstering the military by Tehran, which has been concerned about the US military’s presence in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the Israeli threats to target its nuclear facilities.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered a new branch to be split off from the air force this year to deal specifically with threats to the country’s air space. Gen Mighani was appointed to head the unit.

The order rearranged the regular military into four branches – the ground force, the navy, the air force and the new air defence force.

* Associated Press