Iran Launches Countrywide Air Force Drill

Iran launched a countrywide air force drill on Thursday, involving bombers, fighter planes and surveillance drones, as well as weapons such as laser-guided missiles. A report on state television said that all of Iran’s military air bases – reported to be 12 – are participating in the exercise.

The drill comes a week after Iran’s annual air defense drill with the participation of the army and the Revolutionary Guard Corps. It also is being held as tension increases over Iran’s nuclear program, which has been making great strides toward producing a nuclear weapon as talks over a reboot of the nuclear agreement it signed in 2015 with the world powers remain stalled following the election of a hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi.