Iran-Oman Joint Naval Drills Underway in Persian Gulf

A two-day maritime joint exercise of the Iranian and Omani naval forces started on Wednesday in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz and will continue in the Persian Gulf, Iranian media reported. According to Farsnews agency, the two countries develop strong military cooperation and have already conducted several joint naval exercises.

"It is the fifth joint wargames by Iran and Oman of this type and level, with a set of specified goals," Commander of the Iranian Navy's First Zone Rear Adm. Hossein Azad told journalists as quoted by Farsnews.

According to Azad, the purpose of the drill is to train Navy's ability to provide vessels, cargo ships and oil tankers, constantly passing through the region, with necessary security level. The decision to hold joint naval drills was made on December 19 at the opening of the Omani-Iranian Joint Military Friendship Committee's 12th meeting in Tehran.

Iran and Oman singed a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation in 2013. The memorandum includes cooperation in fighting against drug and human trafficking, strengthening of educational and cultural ties between the two countries` armed forces.

Pakistan Navy Operation "SEASPARK - 15"

Missile Launch was conducted as part of ongoing Exercise Sea-Spark 2015.

Is Iran building an Aircraft Carrier?!

Iran is building a 1/3rd replica of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to use in a movie called "Airbus", which narrates the story of the ill-fated Iran Air Flight 655.

Iran Building a Mock-Up of US Nimitz Class Super-Carrier

What is interesting about this simple prop is the attention it's getting. More than one news site claimed it's actually built for military propose, primarily to serve as a simulation target. A few went as far as claiming that Iran is building this to gain experience about carrier building.

Whoever producing this movie, probably never anticipated they will get this kind of publicity.

4 new domestically-manufactured submarines and hovercrafts join Iranian Navy

Iran to Launch New Submarine to Boost Naval Capabilities in High Seas

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran plans to launch a semi-heavy submarine soon in a bid to boost its naval capabilities in the high seas, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan announced on Wednesday.

“The Defense Ministry will take another step in developing the operational capabilities of this strategic force (Navy) after this advanced submarine (Fateh) joins the Navy fleet in future,” General Dehqan said.

He stressed that as before the Defense Ministry is ready to help the Iranian Navy reach an international balance with regard to its presence in territorial and free waters.

General Dehqan reiterated that the Iranian Navy has shown that it is one of the main security elements and contributors in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

He pointed to the defense ministry’s backup for Iran’s naval forces, and said, “Design and manufacture of different surface, subsurface, light, semi-heavy and heavy vessels like Zolfaqar missile-launching frigate, the advanced Jamaran II destroyer, Al-Sabehat, Qaem, Midget, Qadir and Huvana submarines in different classes, flying boats in different classes and floating pools in different tonnage are part of the Defense Ministry’s backup.”

In September, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that Fateh will be launched this (Iranian) year (ending on March 20, 2014).

“Based on the Navy’s plans, the Fateh submarine will be launched this year," Sayyari told reporters in Tehran in September.

He said that Fateh submarine, Kaman-class missile-launcher warships and Jamaran 2 destroyer will come into operation in the current year.

The Iranian Navy dispatched its 27th flotilla of warships to the high seas in August to protect the country's cargo ships and oil tankers against pirates.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.

The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

Source: FARS News Agency

Iran starts naval drill, prepares to confront Western threats

Tehran has started a six-day naval drill aimed to show "the armed forces' military capabilities" in confronting enemy threats, and also conveying the message of peace to its neighbors. The training is being conducted in key Strait of Hormuz.

­The drill, dubbed Velayat 91, or Guardianship 91, also sends a message to Iran's enemies that the country takes defending its vital interests very seriously, the country’s naval commander Habibollah Sayyari said. 

He added that the drill is aimed at sending the neighbors a message of friendship and peace.

“Among the aims of the drill is to display the capabilities of Iran’s Armed Forces and the Navy to defend our country’s water borders and interests in line with establishing durable security in the region and conveying the message of peace and friendship to the neighboring states,” Commander Sayyari was quoted by Iranian Press TV. 

The maneuvers, involving testing warships, submarines, jet fighters and hovercrafts, are to be conducted across an area of about 1 million square kilometers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and northern parts of the Indian Ocean, local IRNA news agency reported quoting the commander as saying.

Commander Sayyari added that during the maneuver the 23rd fleet of the Navy, which includes Busheher warship and Jamaran destroyer, will practice fighting piracy as part of the mission. The fleet will escort Iran’s merchant vessels and oil tankers.

Iran's state TV said that Tehran had warned ships to stay away from the site until January 3.

The drill has started earlier on Friday as a fleet of surface and subsurface vessels arrived to the location of exercises. 

On the first day of the training, the destroyer Jamaran closely monitored the movements of the mock enemy and sent collected information to the headquarters of the drill, Press TV reported. 

Last December, Iran conducted naval drills in an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.

The Iranian Navy is considered to be the most powerful and efficient in the Persian Gulf, having at its disposal five corvettes, 20 missile boats, 20 torpedo boats, 13 amphibious ships, 28 auxiliary ships, three submarines, 22 aircraft and 15 helicopters.

Screenshot from Iribnews video

Screenshot from Iribnews video

The recent drill is seen as a measure to prevent any possible attempts to block the key shipping route, that accounts for more than a third of the world's seaborne oil exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar.

Such a drill is a routine practice, Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran told RT, however, he added, the timing and the place it's being carried are significant. 

“I think that the place where the military operations and manoeuvres are carried out is also significant because Iranians want to remind the West that any war or battle in the region would be devastating for the oil and gas market and the world economy,” Marandi told RT. 

The Strait became the focus of tensions after Tehran threatening to block the route in retaliation for international sanctions over its alleged nuclear weapons program. The US pledged to keep the strategic oil lane open.

Commander Sayyari said earlier this week that Iran has experienced a leap in the expansion of its subsurface capabilities recently. 

"Iran's subsurface power has been enhanced to a remarkable degree in recent months," he said, adding that "Our surface and subsurface tactics, which used to be inspired by foreign tactics, have now become fully indigenized."

Screenshot from Iribnews video

Screenshot from Iribnews video

Iran has been constantly upgrading its military capabilities lately. In recent years, Iran declared it had made great achievements in the defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in essential military equipment and systems. The country produces its own tanks, self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers. This September, Iran's navy announced the launch of the overhauled super-heavy Tareq 901 submarine. Iran is also actively engaged in missile development. Its Shahab-3 long-range ballistic rocket has range of 5,000km – meaning it could reach Israel and all US military bases in the Persian Gulf.

The West, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accuses Iran of developing a weapon of mass destruction. The agency demands the access to the Parchin military base southeast of Tehran, where it is believed Tehran has been tested elements of its nuclear program.

Iran denies the allegations, saying it is pursuing peaceful nuclear development, maintaining that it needs uranium as fuel for research reactors and eventually for nuclear power plants.

Marandi says that even though Iranians are preparing to respond to an attack, in general they feel that any military assault against them is “highly unlikely.”

Screenshot from Iribnews video

Iran stages ‘modern warfare’ drill in Strait of Hormuz

File photo shows Iranian Navy boats taking part in maneuvers near Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)

Iran claims its capability to defend itself is growing and the Islamic republic is “prepared for any threat”. The statement follows tests of “modern warfare” capabilities and exercises to hone battle tactics in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

­The naval force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is in charge of maintaining security in the Persian Gulf area, held exercises near the port city of Bandar Abbas, which holds a strategic position on the Strait of Hormuz. The main aim was to boost its forces combat readiness, familiarize them with the latest drills, and increase their response time.

The drills also tested well-timed responses to natural and manmade disasters, and allowed IRGC forces to operate new weapons, Iranian Press TV reported.

“Our present capabilities are incomparable to the past. Today, our youth, banking on the past experiences and modern science, have managed to show their capabilities to the world and be prepared for any threat,” IRGC Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Reza Torabi was quoted as saying.

This was the fifth such tactical exercise held by Tehran, however nothing was officially said about the previous tests.

Over the past few years, Iran has held several military drills to enhance the defensive capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

One of the latest tests took place in December 2012, when Iran’s Navy held a six-day naval drill aimed to show "the armed forces' military capabilities" in confronting enemy threats.

The maneuver also took place in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that accounts for more than a third of the world's seaborne oil exports, and involved testing warships, submarines, jet fighters and hovercrafts.

Iran has been constantly upgrading its military capabilities lately. In recent years, Iran declared it had made great achievements in the defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in essential military equipment and systems. The country produces its own tanks, self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers. This September, Iran's navy announced the launch of the overhauled super-heavy Tareq 901 submarine. Iran is also actively engaged in missile development. Its Shahab-3 long-range ballistic rocket has a range of 5,000km – meaning it could reach Israel and all US military bases in the Persian Gulf.