Iran scheduled to begin air defense war games

In separate report, semiofficial Mehr news agency explains that Teheran is expected to unveil locally made radar system with range of 1,800 miles.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bushehr pic newer (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bushehr pic newer
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
TEHERAN, Iran — Iran is scheduled to begin five days of nationwide air defense war games later this week, according to a state television report Sunday.
The semiofficial Mehr news agency, meanwhile, said in a separate report that Iran was expected during the war games to unveil a locally made radar system with a range of some 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers).
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The agency gave no details on the new radar system.
Iran's armed forces conduct several war games every year and frequently unveil new weapons and military systems during those exercises. Often, the capacity and effectiveness of these locally manufactured weapons and systems could not be independently verified.
Iran's air defense exercises have in the past been linked to the country's preparations to deal with a possible air strike targeting its nuclear facilities. The West says Iran's nuclear program aims at making an atomic bomb. Iran denies the charge.
The latest air defense war games will begin Tuesday.
On Saturday Fars news agency reported that Deputy Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behzad Soltani said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant will join the national power grid the within the next 40 days.
The deputy head of the AEOI further assured that the sanctions imposed on the country by the West "could never undermine the country's nuclear progress."