Iran holds military drill near strategic Strait of Hormuz - state media
Iran’s military on Friday kicked off its annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state TV reported, even as the authorities continue their crackdown on anti-government protests that have been underway for over three months.
- Middle East
- Reuters
- Published Date: 10:20 | 30 December 2022
- Modified Date: 10:32 | 30 December 2022
Iran held joint naval, air, and ground exercises in the Gulf on Friday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, state media reported.
The drills involve submarines and drones "practising information-gathering operations against attacking forces, as well as reconnaissance operations," Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the official IRNA news agency.
The exercises, code named Zolfaghar-1401, were launched overnight Friday in the eastern side of the strait in the Gulf of Oman.
Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the area, holds annual war games in the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for some 30% of all crude oil traded by sea.
Sayyari said foreign forces must leave the area "so that regional countries can establish stability and peace in their neighbourhood," the English-language state-run Press TV reported.