Iran's PG naval drills in phase 2

Iran has kicked off the second day of its naval maneuver in the Oman Sea to test its capabilities in securing the waterways in the area and fighting piracy.

The Iranian Army's ground and air forces are also involved in the 8-day drill. On Friday, they began to exercise patrolling the sea routes and escorting passenger and cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Passing ships were successfully checked by destroyers, frigates, special operation teams and naval commandos in line with the goal of establishing security and peace in transit routes bound for the Hormuz Strait and the Persian Gulf," ISNA quoted the drill's spokesman Rear Admiral Qasem Rostamabadi as saying on Friday.

Throughout the operation, he said, the vessels were backed by Air Force fighter jets and choppers as well as surveillance drones.

The second phase of the exercise involved the detection and subsequent destruction of marine and submarine targets as well as conducting rescue drills for chemical, biological and nuclear strikes, the spokesman said.

The third phase of the maneuvers, due to start later on Friday, will focus on tactical operations, test-firing of surface-to-surface, land-to-surface and undersurface missiles. Tens of destroyers, frigates and naval helicopters will participate in this part of the drill.

Iranian military officials have said the drills, which will be observed by official guests from three neighboring countries, is aimed to assure Middle East nations that security in the Persian Gulf can be achieved without a foreign military presence in the strategic waters.

The five-phase drill covers an estimated 250,000-square-kilometer area spanning from the strategic Hormuz Strait to the Indian Ocean.

The event comes after a similar practice staged by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in the Persian Gulf.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125718&sectionid=351020101.