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Iran begins naval maneuvers in Persian Gulf

NICOSIA -- In the first stage of Iranian naval maneuvers, the 'Shahamat 78' maneuver was launched in the Persian Gulf on Sunday.

A spokesman for Iran's navy told the official IRNA news agency the exercises supported Iran's assertion that foreign military forces, a reference to the big U.S. presence in the region, were unnecessary to maintain peace and security.

The Shahamat maneuver is part of a week-long naval maneuver with warships and submarines, which began on Saturday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is the gateway for about a quarter of the world's oil supplies.

Iran wants to launch regional alliances with its Gulf Arab neighbors. It has tried in vain for a over decade to conduct joint military exercises with the Arab states, which had been wary of the war games Iranian forces regularly staged in the Gulf and Sea of Oman.

But, Iran and the United Arab Emirates are locked in a territorial dispute over three islands in the Strait of Hormuz. Both countries claim sovereignty over the strategic island of Abu Musa and two smaller islands, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

Furthermore, the UAE has objected to the recent rapprochement between Iran and its Gulf Arab states as long as the territorial dispute remained unresolved.

Admiral Ali Razmjoo, Head of the Tactical Headquarters of Shahamat maneuver said "that displaying combat readiness of the IRGC navy in defending the Persian Gulf waters and preserving the readiness of the armed forces are among the objectives of the maneuver. Evaluating the new armaments, evaluating the efficiency of commanders of various units, and raising the combat readiness of different units are other objectives of the military exercise."

The three-day maneuver will be launched in six stages in the Persian Gulf region off the Southern Province of Bushehr.

Razmjoo said that "different exercises to airlift personnel, checking telecommunication systems, loading various defence hardware, planting and sweeping mines, and attack on vessels and shores of the hypothetical enemy by frogmen were successfully carried out during the first stage of the war game."

The Unity 77 maneuvers, mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 war with Iraq. They will incorporate all three of Iran's Kilo-class Russian-built submarines for the first time, according to navy spokesman Abdollah Manavi.

"These submarines will demonstrate their defensive capabilities by staying under water for several days without surfacing. They can counter any alien threat from submarines or ships,'' official Tehran radio quoted Manavi as saying.

Manavi said the maneuvers will be held every year in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.

On Sunday's broadcast, monitored in Dubai, Manavi said the "maneuvers carry a message of peace for friendly countries in the region.''