TEHRAN – The deputy chief of the Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base (the central headquarters of Iran’s Air Defense) said on Monday that Iran’s airspace is safe and secure for both domestic and international flights. 

“The country’s airspace is completely safe. We will severely respond to any aggression against our airspace,” Brigadier General Ghader Rahimzadeh said while paying a visit to the air defense units deployed in the northeastern part of the country. 

“The Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base is now at the highest level of defense power to counter foreign military threats,” he added. 

The commander further said his visit was aimed at reinvigorating coordination between air defense sites of the Army and the IRGC. 

“Creation of an impenetrable safe airspace via a united coordinated defense network is the main mission of the base,” Rahimzadeh underscored. 

In November 2019, the Army's Air Defense Force commander warned that enemies must not even think of attack on Iran, asserting that Tehran’s harsh response would make invaders to regret their action.  

Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard made the remarks on the sidelines of an air defense drill in the central province of Semnan. 

“As we have successfully materialized our objectives during the ongoing military drill, if the enemies are mulling over a dream (attack on our country) we will make them regret in the battlefield too,” the general stated.

He further said the enemies were well aware that they might enter the Iranian airspace, but their exit won’t be done in the same way and it was air defense which would definitely determine the fate of intruders. 

Iran has conducted major military drills in recent years to enhance its defense capabilities and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment.

Each year, the country inaugurates a host of new military projects and hardware developed with reliance on domestic capabilities. The Islamic Republic maintains that its defense power is based on deterrence and poses no threat to any other country. 

MJ/PA