Iran’s army has launched an annual infantry drill involving some 12,000 troops, state TV said on Friday. It quoted Gen. Nozar Nemati as saying the two-day exercise will unfold over a 500-square kilometer area in the central Isfahan province. The ground forces will practice new offensive tactics, AP quoted him as saying. Tehran regularly holds exercises to display its military preparedness and has vowed to respond strongly to any attack by Israel or the US, both of which view it as a regional menace.