Iran's air force has been ordered to shoot down any unknown or suspicious flying objects in Iran's airspace.
Air force spokesman Colonel Salman Mahini announced the orders Saturday, amid state-media reports of sightings of flying objects near Iran's nuclear installations.
The timing of the reported increase in sightings, which comes as the United States is urging allies to confront Iran over its nuclear program, has strengthened Iranian public perception that the objects are surveillance or hostile aircraft monitoring Iran.
Iran's Air Force chief General Karim Ghavami was quoted in Iranian newspapers Saturday as saying that Iran was fully prepared to defend any threat to its nuclear installations.
