Last Updated on July 28, 2020, 7:34 AM AST by Anthony Morris
On Tuesday, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards launched a military drill in the Gulf, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported it at a time of high tension between Iran and the U.S.
Over the recent years, there have been periodic confrontations in the Gulf between the U.S. military and the Guards; the U.S. military has accused the Guards’ navy of sending fast-attack boats for harassing the American warships as they pass from the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, which opposes the presence of Western navies and the U.S. Navy in the Gulf, holds annual naval war games in the strategic waterway, the conduit of from 30% of all crude and other oil liquids which are traded by the sea.
Fars reported the final stage of the drill which is known as ‘Great Prophet 14’ with the participation of Air Force and the Guards Navythe Guards Navy has started in the areas of air, land, sea and space in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
As per the statement quoted by Fars, the Guards said that its naval and air forces would use “UAV, missile and radar units” in the drill.
Satellite images which were published on Monday showed that Iran had moved a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier to the Strait, suggesting that it would use the fake vessel for target practice in the war games there.
Tensions raised between the United States and Iran since 2018 when Donald Trump, the President of the U.S. withdrew from 2015 nuclear deal with Iran with six powers and reimposed sanctions which have lowered Tehran’s oil exports significantly.
In April, The Guards said that Tehran would destroy U.S. warships if Iran’s security would be threatened in the Gulf.
Iranian officials have threatened to block Hormuz repeatedly if Iran is not able to export oil or if Iran’s nuclear sites are attacked.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
