Iran Navy drills go into main phase

Ongoing military maneuvers by Iran’s Navy have entered their main stage, during which the naval forces practice countering an enemy invasion.

Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced the launch of the “Velayat 94” drills’ tactical stage early on Wednesday.

The stage has witnessed marines simulating the interception of invaders while on board surface vessels and submarines across a large expanse of territorial and international waters covering parts of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Indian Ocean south of Iran.

Support units, comprising surface-to-sea missile launchers, rocket launchers, commandos, coastal artillery, and mobile electronic warfare systems, were also deployed to littoral areas.

The Navy fielded its domestically-built Tareq submarine during the drills, which also featured torpedo launchers, destroyers, and speedboats.

The four-stage drills are the biggest annual ones by the Navy, which assesses all its tactics and combat routines through the maneuvers.

According to Sayyari, the drills seek to “to display the defensive might of Iran as a country announcing the message of peace and friendship to the countries of the region.”

“The drills are sought to display to the people of the entire world the Islamic Republic of Iran’s competence and authority in establishing security and defending the country’s maritime borders across seas, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and northern Indian Ocean.”