US Hands Tied with Iran’s Air Defense Force

Rasa - The joint air defense and anti-aircraft war games by the Iranian Army and the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps are still underway nationwide.

News ID: 426092

Date: 27 December 2016 - 23:58

RNA - Codenamed Modafean Aseman Velayat 7 (The Defenders of Velayat Skies 7), the seasonal drills kicked off Monday in the southern parts of the country, taking place over an area measuring 496,000 square kilometers.

According to the military commanders, the armed forces are performing Air Defense Identification Zones over land and water in the interest of national security. They extend to skies beyond the country's territory to give the defence forces more time to respond to possibly hostile aircraft.

Per usual, the exercises are part of normal, annual, planned drills, which accord with International Law and practice. They are designed to test Iran’s air warfare capabilities and military response time following training missions, to act as an opposing force to test the air defense capabilities of the armed forces, to increase flight duration and range, and to conduct intercept training.

Under International Law, Iran is allowed to:

-Exercise sovereignty over its territorial airspace

-Stage war games for self-defense and security

-Establish air routes and regulate other aspects of passage through the air

-Test air defence systems and military readiness

-Have sovereign rights in Air Defense Identification Zones, and exercise jurisdiction over air defence science, research and technology

-Have freedom of navigation, transit and overflight

-Prevent and control air insecurity under international obligations

It is per the same law that Iran continues to stage air, anti-aircraft and naval drills in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman as well. After all, air power of both the hard, aerial kind and the softer kind is as vital as ever for national security in these dangerous times.

There is little doubt that the nationwide air defence exercise adheres to International Law by helping to reinforce regional security and peace. Therefore, outside powers like the United States are not right to be worried about Iran becoming a regional air power.

What makes Iran’s rise as a regional air power troubling for the Arab littoral states that rely on America to maintain their own order are in fact its independent policies and security programs, as well as where it lies. There is nothing wrong with Iran regarding a powerful Air Defense Force as essential to its security, prestige and self-image, particularly if it eventually also uses it to reinforce regional order.

Perhaps that explains why the routine exercise hasn't generated alarm. The seasonal drill is being observed by top military delegations from Iraq, Qatar and Oman. It doesn't target any specific neighbour and is in no way related to the recent tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbours, much less for discreet bullying.

The routine operations are proportionate to the military threat the nation is facing from the United States and its allies. They have successfully managed to activate different branches of the armed forces across the nation and familiarise the forces with combat skills, reassuring the public that the military is combat ready and that air defence systems and fighter jets are engaged in ongoing exercises throughout the year.

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