Iran Army stages massive military maneuver
Iran Press TV
Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:37PM GMT
A senior Iranian commander says Iran Army has staged a massive military maneuver with the purpose of countering possible enemy missile attacks.
Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili told reporters on Sunday that the five-day Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 5 (Defenders of the Velayat Skies 5) drill began on October 9 covering an area of 700,000 square kilometers.
He added that the maneuver was staged in the northwestern, western, central, southwestern and southern parts of the country.
Esmaili added that the maneuver succeeded in achieving all its predetermined objectives.
Iran has held several major defense drills in recent months amid threats made and accusations leveled against the country's peaceful nuclear energy program by the US and its allies.
Iran Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) conducted a joint drill, named Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4 (Defenders of the Velayat Skies 4), in November 2012.
The drills covered an area of 950,000 square kilometers in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Sistan-and-Baluchestan, Hormuzgan, Kerman and parts of Fars and Yazd Provinces.
Iran has repeatedly stated that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.
Tehran maintains that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and meant to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.
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