The Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian semiofficial news agency says the army is planning a “unique” military exercise along the country’s border with Iraq.
The ISNA agency on Thursday quoted a senior army commander Gen. Saeed Arabloo as saying the three-day drill will begin on Monday and will include air and ground forces.
He says the aim of the exercise is to upgrade the capabilities of the Iranian forces. He did not elaborate.
Iran regularly holds military exercises in efforts to cast itself as a regional power.
Iran and Iraq fought an eight-year war in the 1980s that left about one million dead on the both sides.
The latest drill comes amid mounting international criticism over Iran’s nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at developing nuclear weapons — a charge Tehran denies.
