Special report: Iran Nuclear Crisis 

    TEHRAN, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The chief commander of the Iranian army's Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras, said on Tuesday that Iran's armed forces are prepared to defend the country's territorial integrity against foreign invasions, Iran's state-run Press TV website reported.

    Dadras made the remarks in the southern province of Fars where a new war game was underway to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the southern city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqi occupation in 1982, the report said.

    "Our forces make the ultimate sacrifice to further strengthen the Islamic Republic in the country," the Iranian army commander said.

    Iran's local Fars news agency on Monday quoted Deputy Commander of Iran's army for Education Dawood Agha-Mohammadi as saying that Iran's army was scheduled to stage war games in the province of Fars on Tuesday morning.

    The three-day maneuvers, codenamed "Beitolmoghaddas 19," would be attended by students and instructors of 17 ground force faculties, Agha-Mohammadi told Fars.

    The general also said that the ground force educational strategies and doctrines would be exercised during the war games and a large number of army officers would practice theories to gain valuable technical, tactical and operational experiences.

    The maneuvers would comprise five different stages, including surface defense, night and day combat and anti-heliborne operations, Agha-Mohammadi said.

    During the maneuvers, the army will use new weapons innovated by Iranian experts, including anti-helicopter weapons, shoulder launchers and projectiles as well as different types of anti-armor weapons and explosives and new types of weaponry, he said.

    All the participating units have already been deployed in the region, waiting for hour zero to start launching the war games, the general said.

U.S. to complain to IAEA chief over Iran enrichment

    WASHINGTON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States and some European allies plan to complain to Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over his proposal for Iran to retain some uranium enrichment activities, U.S. media reported Tuesday.

    Officials from the United States, Britain, Germany and France will visit ElBaradei this week to tell him their concerns over Iran's nuclear program, the report said, citing U.S. officials. Full story