![[FILE] A general view of the official commissioning ceremony of the Bushehr nuclear power plant (Iran), on August 21, 2010. EFE/FILE/Abedin Taherkenareh](https://pre.efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/rss-efe1387c5b1b26006744c78cf9df979d4534eb59c4ew.jpg)
Tehran, Jan 12 (EFE).- The Iranian Army launched military drills on Sunday to bolster the defense of its nuclear facilities, including Fordo and Khondab, amid mounting threats from the United States and Israel to target its atomic sites.
The exercises, dubbed Eqtedar (Power), focused on protecting the Fordo and Khondab nuclear sites in central and western Iran, deploying missile systems, radars, surveillance units, electronic warfare tools, drones, and fighter jets to simulate responses to airstrikes and missile attacks.
“In the first phase of the air defense exercise, simulated attacks on Fordo and Khondab were intercepted by the ’15 Khordad’ and ‘Talash’ missile systems,” reported the Tasnim news agency.
These drills follow similar maneuvers conducted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard near the Natanz nuclear site earlier this week and come days after Tehran unveiled a new underground missile storage facility.
The exercises take place amid warnings from Israel and the U.S. that they may strike Iranian nuclear sites if Tehran continues advancing its uranium enrichment efforts.
Iran has significantly ramped up its uranium enrichment since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement, reaching 60 percent purity — just short of the 90 percent needed for nuclear weapons.
Tehran is set to hold talks with Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in Geneva on Monday to negotiate a potential new nuclear agreement that could ease sanctions.
The diplomatic push comes ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump previously withdrew the US from the 2015 deal, imposed heavy sanctions on Tehran, and pursued a “maximum pressure” policy during his first term. EFE
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