Irans Starts Major Military Drill Near Strait Of Hormuz

Iran announced on Saturday that it started ten days of naval maneuvers east of Hormuz Strait. The Iranian media quoted Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari as saying that these war games are the first to cover two million square kilometers east of Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Eden and north of the Indian Ocean.

Sayyari stated that the launching of these military exercises, entitled “Velayat-e 90”, will include deployment of Iranian navy forces in 20 geographical degrees of the orbit of operation area, where new navy cruisers would be tested, and training on coordination between surface ships and submarines to face piracy, terrorism, and environmental threats would be executed.

Sayyari rejected reports about possible one-day closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the drill. According to him, although the Iranian forces are capable of accomplishing such a mission, the decision to close the Strait of Hormuz is in the hands of the leaders of the Islamic Republic.