DUBAI - Iran will begin six days of naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz
at the end of this week, an Iranian naval commander said on Tuesday, an
exercise meant to showcase its military capabilities in what is a vital
oil and gas shipping route.
The "Velayat 91" drills will be held
from Friday to Wednesday across an area of about 1 million square
kilometers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and northern parts
of the Indian Ocean, said Habibollah Sayyari, according to Iranian
media.
Iranian officials have often said that Iran could block
the strait - through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil
exports pass - if it came under military attack over its disputed
nuclear program.
Iran held a similar 10-day drill last December
and sent a submarine and a destroyer into the Gulf four months ago at
the same time as US and allied navies were conducting exercises in the
same waters to practice keeping oil shipping lanes open.
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