TEHRAN, 15 October 2021, (TON): The Iranian military said that it had successfully tested anti-missile defences for “sensitive” sites during war games in central Iran, after Israeli and US warnings over its nuclear programme.

“The country’s air defences are perfectly prepared to protect sensitive and vital installations through a multi-layered defence system,” said General Amir-Qader Rahimzadeh, commander of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya airbase at Semnan, quoted by Fars news agency.

The exercises, which began, combined the army’s “Majid” defence system with the “Dezful” system of the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps to destroy incoming cruise missiles.

Iran’s central region is home to the Natanz enrichment plant and other nuclear sites.

The war games there came ahead of a visit to Iran expected on Thursday by a European Union envoy coordinating talks on reviving a troubled nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers including the United States.

Rahimzadeh said “a solid and multi-layered defence against cruise missile attacks was one of the objectives of the joint air defence exercises that were carried out successfully.”

These air defence systems are from now on “deployed all over the country,” said the head of the aerospace branch of the Guard Corps, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh.