TEHRAN: According to state media on Sunday, Iran has extended military exercises to include two more nuclear installations in the country’s center and west.
The exercises, known as Eqtedar, which means “might” in Farsi, started last week and will go on until the middle of March. They involve Iran’s military’s ideological wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as the army.
The IRGC said Tuesday that the nuclear enrichment site in central Iran, Natanz, will be the initial target of the exercises. According to a Sunday state TV report, “the exercises are currently being held at the Fordow and Khondab nuclear facilities,” in central and western Iran, respectively.
According to the statement, they include the execution of “offensive and defensive missions” by electronic warfare units, missile and radar units, and electronic intelligence and reconnaissance command.
In anticipation of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the military operations are taking place while Iran’s nuclear program is closely monitored.
During his first term, Trump ordered the death of an IRGC general in Iraq by drone strike and withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran.
Iran will meet with France, Britain, and Germany on January 13 in Switzerland to discuss nuclear issues. “White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan presented President Joe Biden with options for a potential US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if Tehran moved toward developing an atomic weapon before January 20, when Trump takes office,” according to a January article from the U.S. news website Axios.
