IRGC lays naval mines in PG drill

Iranian armed forces display the country’s military prowess on the second day of major drills held in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Naval, air and ground units from Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) took part in the three-day military exercise dubbed ‘The Great Prophet V,’ carrying out complicated operations involving mine-carrying divers and rocket-launching vessels.

“Today, our divers carried out special exercises with mines,” IRGC military defense drill spokesman Brigadier General Alireza Tangsriri told Press TV.

“We are to enter the two-day tactical phase, which involves interception drills with light rocket-launchers, missile-launchers and vessels capable of launching torpedoes,” the general added.

Friday’s maneuvers will showcase the latest military achievements of the IRGC ground forces.

The air units from the armed forces also successfully tested homemade drones capable of detecting and intercepting intruding aircraft.

The first day of the war game, coinciding with the 31st anniversary of the formation of the IRGC, saw the presence of over three-hundred torpedo and guided-missile vessels.

The IRGC also unveiled a homemade sonar-evading vessel in the initial phase of the drills on Thursday. The remote-controlled boat dubbed Ya Mahdi carries high-intensity rockets capable of destroying any targets on water surface.

A delegation of Qatari military officials visited the region where the maneuvers are taking place, expressing hope that the drills will contribute to regional security.

Some 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil shipments pass through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.