Iran reveals it replaced air defenses after “Israel” war

Iran has replaced air defense systems damaged during “Israeli” strikes in June, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported Sunday, citing a military official.

“Israel” launched an unprecedented attack on Iran on June 13, with the stated goal of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Iran denies, asserting its right to civilian nuclear energy.

During the 12-day conflict, “Israel” primarily targeted nuclear and military facilities. Senior military officials and scientists involved in Iran's nuclear program were killed in these strikes.

IRNA quoted Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Head of Operations for the Iranian Army, as saying, "The Zionist enemy tried to destroy Iran's defensive capabilities, and some of our defense systems were damaged in this war. However, the damaged systems have been replaced with new ones through the efforts of our armed forces and have been deployed to pre-determined locations."

The report did not specify the type of equipment or when the replacements occurred.

Iran's air defense capabilities include domestically produced systems like Bavar-373 and Khordad-15, designed to counter missiles and aircraft.

Iran also received Russia's S-300 system in 2016, following the 2015 nuclear agreement signed in Vienna with major powers (France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia, and the United States).

A ceasefire went into effect on June 24, following 12 days of conflict during which Iran responded with missile and drone launches against “Israel”.

Local authorities reported over a thousand casualties in Iran due to the “Israeli” strikes, while the “Israeli” government announced at least 28 deaths in Israel.

On June 22, the United States struck Iran's underground uranium enrichment site in Fordow, south of Tehran, and two nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz (central Iran). The full extent of the damage inflicted by these bombardments remains unclear.

Iran and the United States had conducted five rounds of nuclear negotiations, mediated by Oman, since April, prior to “Israel's” military campaign.

Talks between Tehran and Washington have since halted, with “Israel's” attack occurring two days before a scheduled sixth round of discussions.

Tehran confirmed it will hold talks with Germany, France and Britain on Friday in Istanbul on its nuclear programme, according to Iranian state television.