Iran to stage naval wargames saturday

Senior Iranian Army officials announced on Thursday that the country's naval forces would start massive wargames in international waters in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean on Saturday. Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said at a press conference on Thursday that the naval maneuvers dubbed Velayat 90 will start on Saturday and will cover an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden. According to Sayyari, this is the first time that Iran's Navy carries out naval drills in such a vast area. He added the exercises will manifest Iran's military prowess and defense capabilities in the international waters, convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries, and test the newest military equipment among other objectives of the drills. Rear Admiral Sayyari said that the newest missile systems and torpedoes will be employed in the maneuvers, adding that the most recent tactics used in subsurface battles will also be demonstrated in the maneuvers. He also said that Iranian destroyers, missile-launching vessels, logistic vessels, drones and coastal missiles will also be tested. Iran stages several air, land and sea wargames each year to test its newly produced weapons and equipments. In the last naval drills staged by the Iranian Army, in May 2010 a six-staged naval maneuver was held, codenamed Vellayat 89, in the Strait of Hormuz and Northern Indian Ocean. Spokesman of the military drills Admiral Qassem Rostamabadi announced at the time that the Iranian Navy deployed destroyers, missile-launchers, heavy and light submarines and flight units in specified areas and provided security of shipping lines during the drills. The second phase of the wargames pertained to confrontation against chemical attacks of the enemy through using locally-made equipment, Admiral Rostamabadi added. Also home-made systems were used to successfully confront enemy's divers and guerillas who penetrated into Iranian coasts, the spokesman stated.