DUBAI, Jan 13 (Reuters) – The naval force of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has held exercises to test new
equipment and battle tactics in the strategic Strait of Hormuz,
Iranian media reported on Sunday.
The drills tested the IRGC naval force’s combat-readiness,
speed in responding to natural disasters and familiarity with
new weapons, the Fars news agency reported.
They were the fifth such tactical exercises held by the
force and took place near Bandar Abbas, a Gulf port on Iran’s
southern coast, Fars said. It did not say when they took place.
Iran’s regular navy, separate from the IRGC’s naval branch,
held drills in the Gulf in late December and early January meant
to showcase the country’s military capabilities in the Strait of
Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil
exports passes.
Iranian officials have often said Iran could block the
strait if it came under military attack over its disputed
nuclear programme, and a heavy Western naval presence in the
Gulf is meant to deter any such move.
