Iran begins war games to protect atom sites

Iranian air defence forces began on Sunday five days of maneuvers involving simulated attacks on the country's nuclear sites, state-owned Press TV and Al-Alam television channels reported. The maneuvers were announced on Saturday by Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani, head of army air defence, who said the main aim is to thwart aerial threats on Iran's nuclear facilities -- from reconnaissance to actual assault -- posed by an imaginary enemy. The war games would also help improve cooperation among different units, he added. "Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is our duty to defend out nation's vital facilities and thus this maneuver covers Bushehr, Fars, Isfahan, Tehran and western provinces," Mighani said. "Our unit will be in charge of the maneuver but there will be units from the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij (militia)," he added. Iran's still unoperational nuclear plant is in the southern Bushehr province while its uranium enrichment plants are in Isfahan and near Tehran. The West believes Iran's enrichment work is masking an atomic weapons programme but Tehran insists it is purely for generating electricity. Washington and Israel have never ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Tehran has often held defence war games and has boasted advances in military capabilities in a bid to show its readiness to counter any military threats over its disputed nuclear programme. The Islamic republic has warned it will hit back at Israel and US interests in the region if it is attacked.