Iran has started six days of naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz. The official IRNA news agency says the manoeuvres began early Friday, involving warships, submarines, jet fighters and hovercrafts.
The drills come as the West increases its pressure over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran says it will unhesitatingly take measures to control the Strait of Hormuz if outside forces attempt to create instability in the area.
A show of military strength - The drills, dubbed Velyat 91, or Guardianship 91, cover nearly 1 million square kilometres from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern part of the Indian Ocean, including the Sea of Oman.
Officials say the manoeuvres will test Iran’s defensive and missile systems, combat vessels and submarines.
"The aim of Velayat 91 drills is to show the strength of Iran’s navy and its ability to defend the country’s territorial waters, its interests and its resources in the sea."
Esmail Kosari, the deputy head of the Iranian parliament’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and National Security, disclosed that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will launch a larger naval exercise in its western waters after the six-day drill.
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