(VOVworld)—Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has begun a two-day land military exercise to upgrade its capabilities to defend the country against possible external threats. Commander of the Guard's ground forces Mohammad Pakpour said on comments posted on the force's website that the maneuvers dubbed Valfajr, or Dawn, began Sunday outside the city of Yazd in central Iran. The Guard is Iran's most powerful military unit. The exercises are the latest in a series of maneuvers held amid escalating tensions between Iran and the West over Iran's nuclear program.

A delegation of International Atomic Energy Agency observers arrived in Tehran early Monday for a two-day visit aimed at seeking a solution to a dispute over Iran's nuclear program. The visit is the second to Iran in three weeks and is seen as a key test of Iran's willingness to hold substantive talks with the IAEA about suspicious activities outlined by the agency in a November report. According to the team leader –chief UN nuclear inspector Herman Nackaerts, the highest priority remains is the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, as well as Iran’s willing to resume talk with group G5+1.