Iran begins air defense military drills near Natanz nuclear facility

Iran’s military has begun drills near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the center of the country, state media reports, as part of exercises planned nationwide.

The drills — dubbed Eqtedar, or “might” in Farsi — involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alongside the army.

“The first phase of the joint Eqtedar exercises in the air defense zone of the Natanz nuclear facility has commenced under the orders of the air defense headquarters commander,” state TV says.

It adds that IRGC air forces were undertaking “an all-out point defense” of the site “against a multitude of air threats in tough electronic warfare conditions.”

On Monday, IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said the drills, which will also cover other parts of Iran until mid-March, were being conducted in response to “new security threats,” without elaborating.

Several branches of the IRGC, including the navy and the paramilitary Basij forces, will also take part in the exercises, he added.

Israeli strikes on Iranian military facilities in October — carried out in response to a ballistic missile attack launched by Tehran — were reported to have taken out the majority of Iran’s air defenses, including four Russian-made S-300 air defense systems.