The Naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have started military drills off the country’s southern coast, practicing smart control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Press TV reported.
The combined live-fire intensive drills, named "Smart Control of the Hormuz Strait," began on Monday and are directly supervised by the IRGC Chief Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour.
The drills aim to test the readiness of the IRGC Navy’s operational units and review support programs and scenarios in the face of "possible security and military threats" in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Smart utilization of Iran’s geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is another main objective of the military exercise.
A rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response by the IRGC's operational forces in the face of anti-security plots in the maritime arena is at the core of the operational exercises of the units participating in the drill.
Iran is conducting naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration of US President Donald Trump has deployed military forces to the region, including F-35 fighter jets, large fuel tankers, and additional naval assets, heightening concerns about possible new military action.
At least 163 C-17 and C-5 cargo flights have traveled from bases in the United States and Japan to the Middle East via Europe, according to Drop Site News.
US officials said on February 12 that the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the region, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft and guided-missile destroyers.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that a second aircraft carrier -- the USS Gerald R Ford -- would be leaving the Caribbean for the Middle East “very soon.”
bd-pratidin/GR
