TEHRAN – Iran has expanded its military drills, dubbed Eqtedar (meaning “might” in Farsi), to cover two additional nuclear facilities in the west and center of the country, state media reported on January 12. The drills, which began last week and are set to continue until mid-March, involve the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Initially focused on the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in central Iran, the exercises are now being held at the Fordow and Khondab nuclear facilities in central and western Iran, respectively. The drills involve missile and radar units, electronic warfare units, electronic intelligence, and reconnaissance commands carrying out “offensive and defensive missions”.
These military activities are taking place amid heightened international scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear program, especially with the upcoming return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and ordered the killing of an IRGC general in a drone strike in Iraq.
Iran is set to hold nuclear talks with France, Britain, and Germany on January 13 in Switzerland. The country maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.
Iran has significantly increased its manufacturing of enriched uranium in recent years and is the only non-nuclear weapons state to possess uranium enriched to 60%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This level is well on the way to the 90% required for an atomic bomb.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticized reports of potential US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them a gross violation of international law.