The Iranian military on Sunday launched large-scale naval maneuvers in the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and in part of the Red Sea, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
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The exercise comes as nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers are slated to resume on Nov. 29.
The report cited Coordinating Deputy of the Iranian Army Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari as saying the drill "will demonstrate Iran's power at sea ... warning the enemies that any act of aggression against Iran will draw a crushing response from the army."
Sayyari, the former commander of the Iranian Navy, said the war games, codenamed Zolfaqar-1400, will include troops from the ground forces, navy, air force, and air defenses, and will cover an area stretching from the eastern parts of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the northern parts of the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Red Sea.
The report did not specify what areas in the Red Sea would be included in the exercise.
He further noted that locally-produced equipment, supplies, weapons, and ammunition would be used in the exercise, including "advanced reconnaissance and combat drones with various ranges." The war games seek to raise combat readiness and defense capabilities of the various units "for protecting the country's territorial integrity," Tasnim said.
Iran regularly holds such drills and says they assess the troops' combat readiness and demonstrate the nation's military capabilities.
On Thursday, Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said that regardless of the nuclear talks, the US will "no longer be able to defend Israel," arguing that American policy toward Iran "has always been a failure."
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