Iran, Oman naval drills good model for regional maneuvers Iran MP

An Iranian lawmaker says the recent joint rescue and relief drills staged by Iran and Oman in the Persian Gulf can set a good model for military exercises by other regional countries.

Seyyed Baqer Hosseini, member of Iran Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Wednesday that the drills, conducted in Iran’s territorial waters south of Hormuz Island on January 22, can pave the way for effective cooperation among Persian Gulf littoral states to provide security in the strategic waterway.

Hosseini added that regional states should work together to maintain security in the Persian Gulf and the entire Middle East.

The lawmaker further noted that Iranian officials have frequently stressed the need for convergence among Persian Gulf littoral states to prevent interference of transregional countries, and that Muslim states should establish security and stability on their own.

He dismissed interference of the Western states in the Persian Gulf and Middle East issues as “unjustifiable,” noting that Tehran has invited regional states to conduct joint drills with Iranian naval forces.

Tehran and Muscat have agreed to carry out joint naval drills every year, which aim to enhance the two countries’ readiness for providing relief aid and conducting rescue operations, boost regional cooperation, and pave the way for the exchange of experiences.

The two countries staged joint naval relief and rescue drills in February 2011, in which four Omani vessels, two fighter jets and one maritime helicopter as well as four Iranian naval ships had participated.

Iran’s Navy has been also multiplying its naval presence in the international waters since 2011, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean and dispatching two ships via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean for the first time in February 2011.

The Islamic Republic has extended a public invitation to the regional states to conduct joint naval drills with Iranian forces.