Newsweek:
Iran has begun widescale air defense drills, simulating a potential aerial invasion amid regional unrest and a powerful U.S. Navy warship sailed near its shores.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 98-Guardians of Velayat Sky joint exercises, Iranian Army Air Defense Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard said Thursday that the maneuvers were being held across an area of some 416,000 square kilometers—roughly the size of the U.S. state of California—mostly in the northern province of Semnan. He said his forces “will practice the toughest and most realistic combat conditions,” simulating a conflict in the Persian Gulf, especially the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
