Iranian air and naval forces are set to conduct new military exercises in "a vast area covering millions of square meters" including the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, local media reported Wednesday.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world's single most important oil passageway, as it is the only route to the open ocean for over a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and almost 25% of total global oil shipments.
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The Iranian military reportedly plans to deploy warships, submarines, along with unmanned aerial vehicle technology to the area.
The military exercise will be an opportunity for Tehran to show its "authority" and its "ability to act promptly" along its coasts, explained Iranian admiral Amir-Habibollah Sayyari.
This development comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington after Iran had built and moved a mock American aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz in July, in view of possible military exercises.
The report also comes a few days before the signing of the peace agreement between the UAE and Israel, scheduled for September 15 at the White House, which should formalize the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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On August 16, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened the Emirates, saying they had made a "huge mistake" in concluding this agreement with the Jewish state.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
