Iran to start 10-day war games in intl. waters

TEHRAN, Dec.24 (MNA) - The Iranian Navy will start 10-day war games on Saturday, which will cover a span of about 2,000 square kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden. The maneuver, entitled Velayat-90, differs from previous ones in terms of the vastness of the area of action and military equipment and tactics that would be employed, Iran`s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told a news conference on Thursday. Military war games will be staged in a large area from the east side of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman to the northern Indian Ocean, he said, adding that in terms of intelligence, the maneuver will cover a vast area stretching from the northern Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Aden. Sayyari added that the war games will be conducted in the vicinity of Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, India, and the northern Somalia and based on international regulations. The maneuvers will display the prowess of the country's armed forces as well as the Navy's defensive and deterrent power and its capability to provide security for vessels in the open seas, he said. The war games will also convey the message of “peace and friendship” to regional countries, he added. Sayyari went on to say that the newest military equipment delivered to the Navy, including missile systems and torpedoes, will be tested in the war games. Submarines of the Ghadir class and other classes, warships, missile-firing destroyers, coast-to-sea missile systems, drones, and other equipment will be employed, he stated, adding that attacks by hypothetical enemy forces will be countered in one of the stages. The eight-day Velayat-89 maneuver was held from May 5, 2010 to May 12, 2010 and covered a wide area from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern Indian Ocean. No decision made yet to close Strait of Hormuz Asked if the Navy has the capability to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important chokepoints which accounts for about 30% of the world’s seaborne oil shipments, Sayyari said that the strait is under the control of the Navy. The Navy commander said the Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps have the capability to shut the Strait of Hormuz, but the decision on the issue rests with "our superiors." He added, "No decision has been made in this regard yet." Iranian MP Parviz Sorouri said on December 13 that Iran plans to hold a war game in the near future to practice its ability to close the strait. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast stated on December 14 that Iran’s threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz is a response to the United States’ threats against the Islamic Republic.