US cruiser leaves drill area as Iran’s military manoeuvre continues

Tehran, Iran, Dec. 28 By Milad Fashtami - Trend: Iran’s armed forces warned foreign cruisers, including a US cruiser, to leave their drill area in the country’s south, the Fars news agency reported Dec. 28. Iranian armed forces have launched the fourth phase of a massive military drill codenamed Muhammad Rasulullah (Mohammad, the Messenger of God), which started earlier on Dec. 25. The drill is the largest of its kind in the region yet, covering an area from the east of the Strait of Hormuz to the southern parts of the Gulf of Aden. In the latest stage of the manoeuvres, naval forces will plant mines to deter mock enemy vessels and submarines from entering coastal waters. Another team will immediately conduct a naval mine clearance exercise. The Iranian army’s F-4 fighter jets will join to provide air support to the naval fleet. According to Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, today’s drill is the largest missile drill in the history of military exercises in Iran. The drill involves the deployment of different types of military hardware and weapons both in water and on land. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency