Iran launches large-scale war games
Iran’s military began its largest war games in almost a year today, just two days ahead of a UN Security Council deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face further economic sanctions.
The elite Revolutionary Guards began three days of ground manoeuvres, dubbed Eghtedar (Grandeur), state-run media reported.
State television said the exercise was the biggest since March 2006 and was taking place in 16 of Iran’s 30 provinces.
The broadcast said 20 brigades, or an estimated 60,000 troops, were taking part.
“All weapons possessed by the Guards’ ground force ... including new weapons, will be tested during the war games,” Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the Guards’ ground force, was quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency as saying.
The Revolutionary Guards is an elite military corps with more than 200,000 members and its own naval and air forces. It is independent of the regular armed forces and controlled directly by the supreme leader.
It oversees vital interests such as oil and natural gas installations and the nation’s missile arsenal.
