Iran roundup....

U.S. presses Turkey to stop Iran's arms shipments to Hizbullah

ANKARA — Under U.S. pressure, Turkey has begun an effort to bolster security along the border with Iran.

Officials said the Turkish Interior Ministry has ordered border units to increase inspections of cargo and travelers from Iran. The inspections are to focus on Iranian trucks suspected of smuggling weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Over the past month, Turkey reportedly intercepted or turned back five Iranian cargo planes from Syria. Two of the planes were forced to land in Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey where they were searched for rockets and weapons for Hizbullah. Ankara did not report finding any weapons.

The Turkish NTV television reported that authorities have reinforced personnel at the Gurbulak border gate along the Iranian border. NTV said the effort was focused on Iranian trucks.

"Searches have become more meticulous and became more sensitive," an official was quoted as saying.

The Interior Ministry has pledged to increase funding for training and new equipment along the Iranian border. Next year, officials said, the ministry would procure systems that could examine trucks without intrusion.

Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has sought to play down efforts to increase security along the Iranian border. They said that despite U.S. pressure, Ankara sought to maintain excellent relations with Iran, which has been cooperating against the Kurdish Workers Party.

On Aug. 21, Iran reportedly captured four PKK operatives.

Hussein Rashidi, a senior police official in Iran's Western Azerbaijan Province, told the Teheran-based Kayhan that the PKK insurgents were captured after clashes along the Turkish border.

Rashidi said PKK fighters killed two Iranian soldiers in a separate incident. Over the past two months, Iranian artillery units have been shelling PKK strongholds in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

Iran claims success in 5-week asymmetrical war games

NICOSIA — Iran has praised its just-concluded military exercise designed to introduce an asymmetrical combat doctrine in any war against the United States.

Officials said the Iranian army conducted massive ground operations during the Blow of Zolfaqar exercise. The five-week exercise began on Aug. 19 and included the deployment of 12 army divisions, or 120,000 soldiers.

"The forces taking part in the operations managed to fulfill their mission and fight the aggressive enemy," the official Iranian news agency Irna reported Aug. 22. "That stage of the war game ended, meeting all the targets by using new tactics and facilities."

The exercise took place throughout 16 provinces in Iran, including along the borders with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Troops were deployed around Ahvaz, Gorgan, Khorramabad, Mashad, Pasveh, Tabriz and Teheran.

A military statement said the ground forces were supported by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, including the U.S.-origin CH-47 helicopter. Anti-tank, air defense and electronic warfare units also participated in what was called one of the largest exercises in years.

"The Iranian Armed Forces plan to demonstrate their airborne power against a mock enemy in a very different way in these war games," the statement said.

The statement said the army introduced advanced EW systems that could jam enemy communications. The military said units also deployed mobile radio transmission systems with a range of 100 kilometers to disrupt enemy communications.

Brig. Gen. Kiumars Heidari, spokesman for the exercise, said Iran tested both surface-to-surface and ground-to-sea missiles. He cited the Saeqeh surface-to-surface missile, having a range of up to 250 kilometers.

Iran touts tests of new surface-to-air missiles

Iran has unveiled a new anti-aircraft system.

The Iranian air force announced development of a surface-to-air missile system that could destroy a range of low-flying missiles and aircraft. The air force said the system has been successfully tested.

On Sept. 4, an air force official told Iranian state television that the unidentified system was capable of simultaneously destroying several low-altitude missiles and aircraft. The official said the system was recently tested, but did not elaborate.

The system was reportedly tested during the current Blow of Zolfaqar military exercise. The exercise began in late August and is expected to continue through most of September.

Iran has deployed Russian-origin SAM systems around strategic facilities, including the nuclear reactor at Bushehr. The air force has acquired an estimated 700 SA-18 Igla-S shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems.