Iran, Qatar to stage joint coast guard drill soon

Iran Coast Guard commander says the naval forces of the Islamic Republic and Qatar plan to stage their first joint coast guard drill in the near future.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 11th Iran-Qatar Coast Guard Cooperation Summit in the Persian Gulf island of Kish on Thursday, Brigadier General Seyyed Ali Mohammed Salami stated that the maritime maneuvers were agreed upon during the summit.

He added that Iranian coast guard forces have also agreed to train the Qatari side in the fight against smuggling of illicit drugs.

On September 28, Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Iran and Oman plan to hold a joint rescue and relief drill in Iran’s southern waters in March 2014.

The joint exercise will reportedly be carried out in unfavorable weather and sea conditions to help reduce the time of rescue and relief operations in such circumstances.

Tehran and Muscat have agreed to carry out joint naval drills every year to ensure readiness for relief services and rescue operations as well as improve the level of regional cooperation and the exchange of experience.

Iran Navy has been 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.