Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has announced that some 25 naval exercises had been planned to be held by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2018).
Sayyari said that the naval exercises will be held in the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea, and it will ultimately lead to the massive Velayat96 naval drills, Mehr news agency reported June 7.
He underlined that the Navy’s military equipment is state-of-the-art and is manufactured by Iranian experts.
“For example, domestically built Damavand destroyer has come successfully on stream in Northern Iran and is currently being used in the high seas,” Sayyari said.
“Our objective is to train experts who can carry out Navy’s critical missions, especially in the high seas to bring the country great honor and security,” he added.
Last January, the country’s Navy launched Velayat-94 drills across a large swath of territorial waters and high seas in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean.
In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait to safeguard maritime routes used by the country’s vessels and oil tankers.
Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks by pirates on both Iranian and foreign vessels during its missions in international waters.
