Iran Begins Five-Day Air-Defense War Games

State television says a five-day air defense exercise kicked off today to test Iran's capabilities in protecting its nuclear facilities from possible attack.

Iran has said that during the exercise it would unveil a locally made radar system with a range of almost 3,000 kilometers.

General Ahmad Mighani, head of a unit in charge of responding to threats to Iran's airspace, was quoted by state TV as saying the drill seeks to "upgrade the combat preparedness" of the country's air-defense system.

Separately, Iran's Air Force said its troops earlier this year conducted an exercise at several facilities, including the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

compiled from agency reports