TEHRAN - The commander of the Khatam-ul-Anbia Air Base said on Monday that Iran has formulated and implemented plans to protect its vital centers from enemy attack.

Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani made the remarks as Iranian Air Force combat units began large-scale war games in many provinces across the country.
One of the aims of the “Defenders of the Sky of Velayat” war game is to test how to guard these vitally important centers, he explained.
Khatam-ul-Anbia and many other air bases participate in such maneuvers every year, he added.
The commander said that this maneuver is being conducted in three stages.
In the first stage, the units practice procedures to gather data from the enemy and to counter enemy moves to penetrate the country’s communication networks, and the second stage features simulated enemy attacks on air defense systems and radar systems to assess the armed forces response capabilities, he stated.
In the third stage of the maneuver, the imaginary enemy attacks the vital centers, and we respond by taking out their aircraft and missiles, Miqani added. One of the most important aims of this maneuver is to ensure that all air defense system units follow a single command, Miqani said.
In response to a question on the armed forces’ preparedness to defend vital centers, especially nuclear facilities, he said, “We are totally capable of defending the country’s airspace and possess advanced equipment for responding to enemies.”
Pointing to the recent military threats against Iran, he said, “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have high capabilities in electronic warfare systems and enormous efforts have been put into the defense systems. Thus, in the event of an attack, we are prepared to give a crushing a response to the enemies and make them regret their actions.”
This maneuver is not meant to intimidate neighboring countries and the Iranian nation has never had any inclination to invade another country and never will, he emphasized.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to make its relations with all nations, especially neighboring states, friendlier.”
The maneuver is being conducted to maintain the preparedness of the nation’s armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is something every country does, the commander noted.
Most of the systems being utilized in the maneuver are for asymmetrical warfare, he added