Iran's official IRNA news agency says the Iranian air force is holding its annual military exercise to show off its ability to safeguard the country's airspace.

The drill is taking place near the central city of Isfahan, a region that is home to the country's key nuclear facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. Isfahan also has an air base that played a major role during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

The military spokesman for the two-day drill, Gen. Masoud Rouzkhosh, says it aims to improve and update capabilities of the air force, as well as display Iran's military power.

He says fighter jets, bombers and drones will be tested during the drill near Isfahan, about some 400 kilometers, or 250 miles, south of the capital, Tehran.