Iran launches massive war games in the Strait of Hormuz

Middle East, News February 25, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched massive war games in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the south of the country.

The maneuvers, code-named the Great Prophet 9, kicked off Wednesday morning.

The drills started with maritime mine operations by speedboats as well as the firing of four coast-to-sea missiles in the strategic Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.

IRGC’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that 20 new missiles, including underwater ones with a speed of 100 meters per second, will be tested during the military exercises.

The drills also feature other military equipment, including speedboats equipped with naval radars, electronic communications systems, cruise missiles with a range of 25 kilometers, anti-ship medium-range missiles, medium- and large-caliber torpedoes, sea mines, heavy machine guns, rocket-launchers and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.

Iran will also fire coast-to-sea and ground-to-ground ballistic missiles during the drill.

The maneuvers, which involve state-of-the-art military equipment, are aimed at demonstrating IRGC’s prowess in defending the country’s interests in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

According to a top Iranian military commander, New anti-aircraft missile simulators have been installed at Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base. The systems would be used to train soldiers in the art of downing enemy aircraft, according to Iranian press reports.

IRGC has already established a new organization for its “smart combat vessels.” The new war group was created in response to the “need for confronting U.S. naval forces,” according to Iran’s Press TV.

While, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Ja’fari said that, “The message of these maneuvers is deterrence, so that outsiders will take care not to act against the Islamic Republic’s security.”

“We consider ourselves the guardians of security in the Strait of Hormuz and have shown this to the world in this war game [that started] today,” the top commander added.

Ja’fari added that the Sea of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region are fully controlled by the IRGC Navy.

Iran has conducted several war games to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

AR/NN/HRB