Iran Army’s maneuvers to boost defense capabilities: Cmdr.

The major ongoing war games being conducted by the Iranian Army are merely geared to maintaining and boosting the military’s defense capabilities and combat readiness, a top commander tells Press TV.

The reason why Iran is carrying out the maneuvers “is not that the country has felt a threat,” but is simply to improve the Army’s capabilities, said Air Force Spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Chitforoush.

He said the Army is upgrading its defense potential, so that it will be able to maintain its readiness to counter any possible threat if need be.

“In these drills, Iran is putting to the test and drawing on the experience it gained during the eight-year [Iraqi imposed] war,” the top commander added.

He reiterated that the military exercises involve domestically-developed and renovated military hardware, including aircraft, missiles and vessels.

The Iranian Army launched massive six-day military exercises code-named Mohammad Rasoulallah (Mohammad, the Messenger of God) in the country’s south on Thursday to display the Islamic Republic’s military prowess.

During the first stage of the military drill on Thursday, different ground units, fighter jets and air defense systems were stationed in the southeastern part of the country. Various marine, surface, and subsurface vessels were also deployed in the Sea of Oman.

In the second phase of the military exercises on Friday, involving various units of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces, different defense systems, including newly-developed ones, were tested.

The joint drills by Iranian Army’s ground, naval, and air forces are backed by Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.

The Islamic Republic has frequently announced that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.