BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:10 A.M.) – The second phase of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s naval maneuvers began on Thursday, near the Asalwiya port in the Gulf waters.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported: “The Basij forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy carried out a maneuver with the participation of 700 boats in the waters of the Gulf on the occasion of the anniversary of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and in the presence of the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, and the head of the Guard Navy, Reza Tangsiri.”
For his part, Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, said, “Our armed forces and mobilization forces are always ready to defend Iran’s vital interests in the Gulf waters, and there are secret parts of our military capabilities that can only be displayed in the field.”
He pointed out that “defense capabilities have reached advanced lines in the world, noting that what we offered to our friends and enemies is only part of it,” stressing that “the main message that the maneuver carries is that the Iranian armed forces and people are always ready to defend the fateful interests, especially the blue waters of the Gulf and the borders of Iran. ”
On Tuesday, the Iranian army announced that it had conducted a major military exercise with drones. Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, Assistant to the Army Staff for Operations Affairs, said, “The dimensions of these maneuvers are that the Islamic Republic of Iran is today one of the most powerful countries in the world in the field of unmanned aircraft.”
These maneuvers come at a time of increased tension with the United States, as both countries have strengthened their presence in the Persian Gulf amid fears of a possible confrontation.
