Commander Warns Trans-Regional Planes to Keep Away from Iran’s Air Defense Drills Zone

“The 5-day massive drills codenamed ‘Modafe’an-e Asseman-e Velayat-e Haq will start tomorrow morning in a 496,000 sq/km region from Ahwaz and Shiraz to Kerman, Bushehr, Hormozgan, the trio (Iranian) Islands (Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb), Kish Island and Khark Island and the air borders of all these regions,” General Esmayeeli told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.

He added that the Air Defense forces of the army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Navy’s operational control units, the army and the IRGC’s artillery units, some units of Basij (volunteer forces) and the Law Enforcement Police and F4 warplanes of the Air Force will participate in the exercises.

Noting that the wargames will be held in Iran’s most sensitive regions, General Esmayeeli said, “Of course, we are witnessing the presence of a number of trans-regional planes outside the air and sea borders of the country but we emphasize that these planes should know their limits and know that we will take action in less than one second. They should fully keep away from the drills zone.”

He stressed that advanced electronic warfare systems will be used in the upcoming Air Defense drills, and added that different radar systems, electronic tapping systems and missile systems (low, mid and high altitudes) in different frequencies will also be used in the wargames by the army and the IRGC.

General Esmayeeli had announced in October that the country’s air defense system is so powerful that it can engage and destroy multiple hostile flying objects of different types at once.

“The air defense system can engage in combat against various targets at any altitudes and it blocks the path of any hostile flying objects that intends to enter the country’s airspace,” General Esmayeeli said.

Stressing that Iran enjoys a desirable level of sustainable security, he said that the enemies don’t even think of threatening the country.

General Esmayeeli referred to the Iranian Armed Forces’ different defensive capabilities, and said this has created a proper level of deterrence against the enemies.

General Esmayeeli announced in July that the new defense systems integrated into the country’s home-made missile shield have increased its air defense capability.

“Integration of the indigenized systems with the new systems has increased (Iran’s) air defense capability,” he said, addressing the Air Defense Base staff in Tehran only a day after reports said Iran has received the missiles of a battalion of the S-300 air defense system that it imported from Russia a few months ago.

Stressing Iran’s eye-catching progress in detection and reconnaissance fields, he said, “The Air Defense is also capable of fighting against any threats at any altitude by relying on its home-made capabilities.”

Esmayeeli underlined that the equipment needed in the Air Defense Base are built and supplied based on standing needs and requirements and future threats.