A senior Iranian Army Commander said the country is planning to stage a massive military drill with presence of observers from regional countries, the local ISNA new agency reported on Wednesday.

"The Army Ground Force is to stage a massive military exercise in 2011 and we plan to invite regional countries to take part in the maneuver," Commander of Iranian Army Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan told reporters on Tuesday.

"We plan to expand our regional cooperation and communication with neighboring countries and we want them to welcome our invitation," Pourdastan said, adding that, "the regional countries will primarily take part in the military exercise as observers and then they will join the drills after required steps were taken."

"The relation between neighboring countries' armies leads to their awareness of their own capabilities in establishing regional security," without presence of foreign countries, he was quoted as saying.