Iran begins military drills near Natanz nuclear site

TEHRAN: Iran´s military has begun drills near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the centre of the country, state media reported on Tuesday, as part of exercises planned nationwide.

The drills -- dubbed Eqtedar, or “might”, in Farsi -- have involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological branch of Iran´s military, 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 said.

It added that IRGC air forces were undertaking “an all-out point defence” 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.

Last week, US news website Axios reported that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan had presented President Joe Biden with options for a potential US strike on Iran´s nuclear facilities if Tehran moved toward developing a nuclear weapon before January 20, when Donald Trump takes office. Iran´s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei lambasted the reports, saying threats against the country´s nuclear facilities were “a gross violation of international law”.