TEHRAN: Iran will begin large-scale air defense war games on Sunday to help protect its nuclear facilities against any attack, a senior commander said.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad Mighani also suggested Iran could itself produce an advanced missile defense system which Russia has so far failed to deliver to the Islamic Republic and which Washington and Israel do not want Tehran to have.
Iran believes Russia’s delay in supplying high-grade S-300 missiles was due to pressure by Israel, not technical problems as cited by Moscow, Mighani said.
“We are hopeful the Russians will ignore the pressure of the Zionist lobby,” Fars news agency quoted him as saying on Saturday. Iran refers to Israel as the “Zionist regime.” The military maneuvers will last for five days and involve both the elite Revolutionary Guards and the regular armed forces against a hypothetical enemy, Iranian media reported.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the row over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is solely to generate electricity, has threatened to hit back at Israel and US if it is attacked. “This week’s air defense maneuvers will be held with the intention of protecting the country’s nuclear facilities,” Mighani said, Fars reported. State television said the defense drills would “ensure better protection” for these facilities.
