IranÂ’s elite Revolutionary Guards
... not to be confused with Iraq's Elite Republican Guards™...
on Wednesday launched a new two-day air and naval war game, aimed at testing missile defences at a time of rising tension with the West, state television reported. The IRNA agency said that missile units of the Revolutionary Guards navy and air force were scheduled to conduct the exercises in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The naval exercise -named Raad (Thunder) - was aimed at “enhancing the defensive capabilities” and preserving the readiness of the naval force’s missile unit, it said. The goal of the air force war game -named Saegheh (Thunderbolt) - was also to “consolidate the defensive and operational capabilities” of the missile unit, it added. Equipment used to monitor incoming enemy missiles would be tested and missiles would also be test-fired, the agency said, without giving the names of the weapons.
IranÂ’s leaders have repeatedly said that the countryÂ’s armed forces were ready for any eventuality in the current standoff with the West over its nuclear programme. Although the United States has stressed that it wants the standoff to be resolved through diplomacy, Washington has refused to rule out military action to thwart TehranÂ’s atomic drive. |