Iran To Hold Large-Scale Navy Drills

By Staff, Agencies

Iran announced on Thursday that its naval forces are to hold large-scale drills in the Indian Ocean in two weeks’ time.

The Air Force along with the Navy will hold the military drills, Rear Admiral Touraj Hassani-Moqaddam told IRNA on Thursday.

“The exercises are to be held in an area extending from the Makran Coast in southeastern Iran to “the Indian Ocean ... towards the end of [the Iranian calendar month of] Bahman [which ends on February 19],” he added.

The Iranian military official further mentioned that “the Navy’s state-of-the-art armaments and equipment will be deployed during the large-scale exercises,” including naval vessels, submersibles, surface-to-sea missiles, drones, and electronic warfare equipment.

Noting that the drills are also to be joined by marine brigades and naval commando units, the military commander added, “In these exercises, we will display the Islamic Republic’s power in the region with the aim of establishing security.”

In parallel, Hassani-Moqaddam stated, “In order to contribute to international maritime security and reinforce the country’s diplomacy, Iranian naval vessels stay invariably alert and in addition to carrying out surveillance missions, are ready to engage [in any possible confrontation] if necessary,” he added.

Prior to the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Iranian Navy only sailed in the Gulf waters, but now it maintains a “powerful presence” in the high seas, said the official.

The Navy carries out recurrent military maneuvers and maritime security missions in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Aden, and the Suez Canal, the commander noted.