Iranian Navy to hold major drill in PG

The Iranian Navy plans to stage a massive military exercise in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, according to a senior naval commander.

Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the drill code-named Velayat 89 will kick off on Wednesday.

He said that the major exercise will be carried out in six phases and last eight days.

The commander said that the drill would cover an area of 250 thousand square kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern Indian Ocean.

The drill aims to display Iran’s prowess in defending the country’s territory and carries the message of “peace and friendship” for regional countries, Sayyari said.

The major naval drill comes less than two weeks after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps held a massive military drill in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz with the main aim of preserving the security of the region.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, connects the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman. Nearly 40 percent of the world’s crude oil passes through this waterway.