Tehran: In response to recent ship seizures by Tehran, the Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary organisation in Iran, conducted a surprise military exercise on Wednesday on islands in the Arabian Gulf.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that the drill primarily concentrated on Abu Musa Island, though the Guard also landed forces on Greater Tunb Island. The drill involved ships, drones, and missile units, according to the report.
Although such impromptu exercises have occurred in the past, Iran did not give a justification for starting the drill.
Also Read: Shakeup in Tunisia: Bouden Ousted, Ahmed Hachani Sworn In as New Prime Minister
In a televised address during the exercise, the head of the Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, said, "We always try for security and tranquilly; it is our way. "Our nation is vigilant and responds sternly to all dangers, intricate seditious plots, and covert hostilities,"
However, the exercise is taking place as tens of thousands of Marines and sailors travel to the Arabian Gulf aboard the landing ship USS Carter Hall and the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan. A-10 Thunderbolt II fighters, F-16 and F-35 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, have already been dispatched by the US to the area.
Also Read: Beirut's Lingering Mystery: Three Years After Mega-Explosion, Lebanon Yearns for Answers
The deployment is being made, according to the Pentagon, "in response to recent attempts by Iran to threaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters." The US views the narrow waterway that connects the Arabian Gulf to the rest of the world as essential to both its national security and maintaining stable global energy prices because it carries about 20 percent of the world's oil.
After the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers fell through, Iran is now enriching uranium more closely than ever towards levels suitable for use in weapons.
Also Read: Fishermen's Cry for Help: Syria's Rivers Suffer Pollution and Water Loss, Threatening Livelihoods
Iran has been attempting to express its displeasure with recent remarks made by Russia about the islands, which Tehran has provided with bomb-carrying drones for their conflict in Ukraine. Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for "bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice" to decide who should control the islands earlier this summer in a joint statement. Iran expressed outrage over that, and the Russian envoy was summoned as a result.