Iran starts war games; U.S. military planners concerned

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps launched a series of war games last week in southern Khuzestan province.

Code-named Moharram, the military exercise involves some 20,000 troops. It is raising concerns among U.S. military planners that Iran could invade Iraq after U.S. forces launch military operations.

"The preliminary stages for the exercise began on [March 3] with the transportation of the forces and their stationing in regions from the north to the south of Khuzestan Province," Iranian military commander Brigadier Zahedi told the official Iranian news agency.

"The most important aspects of the exercise are to learn from the experiences of the years of sacred defense [Iran-Iraq war] and asymmetrical combat, in order to increase the defense capability of the armed forces of IRGC against any type of modern weapon," he said.

Iran has bolstered its forces near the Iraqi border in advance of a U.S.-led war against Baghdad. Iranian officials have expressed concern that U.S. forces would also target their strategic facilities, including the Bushehr nuclear reactor, which is still under construction.

Zahedi said the exercise would train forces in such areas as asymmetrical warfare. The goal, he said, would be to increase Iran's capability to defend "against any type of modern weapon."

Iraqi opposition sources said two Iraqi armored brigades have been deployed near the Iranian border. The Voice of Iraq radio, operating from Saudi Arabia, said the 41st and 624th armored brigades were deployed in the marshes of Abu Ghorab Slam, Meymouneh, Juraygah, Gusara, and Sida in Iraq's Meysan Province. The marshes have been used by Iranian-backed Shi'ite forces opposed to the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.