BREAKING NEWS

Iran to conduct navy drill in Strait of Hormuz

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.