Iran Army launches massive drill in central region
Iran’s Army Ground Force started a large-scale military drill in a central province of the country in order to boost deterrence against potential threats.
The two-day exercise, codenamed Eghtedar 1402, began on Friday in Nasrabad region of Isfahan Province with the participation of various units, Press TV reported.
Infantry regiments, armored divisions, missile and artillery units, airborne divisions, drone squads, electronic warfare units, and support teams are participating in the exercise, Brigadier General Karim Cheshak, spokesman for the military exercise, said on Friday.
These forces are deployed to the exercise area from seven different provinces after traveling an average of 1,100 km, he added.
About 200 military helicopters performed different operations on the first day.
“This exercise will last for two days, and one of its main objectives is to improve the prowess and combat readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Force and enhance the country’s level of deterrence against potential threats.”
“The drill will also aim to transfer relevant experiences to younger commanders and army forces and practice multiple predetermined defense scenarios,” Cheshak added.
The first stage of the exercise, he maintained, involved the airborne and ground transfer of four combat brigades and other units to the drill area.
The second stage will involve surveillance and reconnaissance operations using unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic and detection systems, Cheshak said.
During the third and fourth stages of the drill, coastal defense scenarios and night-time airborne operations will be practiced, while offensive operations aimed at destroying the mock enemy’s targets will be carried out in the final phase, he added.
The drill came after US President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned Iran against hitting US personnel in the Middle East following a spate of attacks by regional forces allegedly affiliated with Iran on American forces in the region.
Following the Biden warning, the US military struck two facilities in eastern Syria that it claimed are used by groups linked to Iran.