– ‘Hormuz naval drill, message to West’ (Press TV, Dec. 26, 2011):
A senior Iranian lawmaker says the ongoing Velayat 90 naval drill aim to send a warning to the West that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed if Iran is threatened.
“The [Iranian] Navy’s military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman indicate the power and dominance of Iran’s Navy in regional waters,” member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Zohreh Elahian said Monday.
The lawmaker stated that military drills also aim to increase Iran’s deterrence power and prove its regional dominance.
“The exercises send an important message to the whole world, especially the colonialist powers…and also show the power of [Iran’s] armed forces, particularly [the country’s] Navy,” she noted.
Elahian added foreign media have admitted that Iran and its Navy are so powerful that if threatened, the country can take control of the Strait of Hormuz as the global economic and energy conduit.
On Saturday, December 24, Iran’s Navy launched a massive 10-day Velayat 90 naval exercise, covering an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.
Different classes of submarines, including Tareq and Qadir, the newest ground-to-sea missile systems and torpedoes have been employed in the maneuvers.
Over the past years, Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.
The country has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the nation’s defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.
– Iran Begins Straits of Hormuz Wargames (ZeroHedge, Dec. 24, 2011):
As was reported yesterday, Iran has now officially commenced its 10 day wargame exercise in the Straits of Hormuz. What happens next is 10 days in which one false move, either planned or false flagged, can have some serious (if required by the status quo) consequences: after all WTI is at $100, and the ECB has quietly “printed” $700 billion in the past 6 months, with the Fed not far behind – there has to be some implicit backstop to keep crude from soaring once it becomes clear that print mode is on, and the only way that can happen is the “possibility” of expanded oil supply through control of the main supply channels. From Reuters: “Iran began 10 days of naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, raising concern about a possible closure of the world’s most strategic oil transit channel in the event of any outbreak of military conflict between Tehran and the West. The military drill, dubbed “Velayat-e 90”, comes as the tension between the West and Iran is escalating over the Islamic state’s nuclear programme. Iranian authorities have given no indication the strait will be closed during the exercise, and it has not been shut during previous drills. “Displaying Iran’s defensive and deterrent power as well as relaying a message of peace and friendship in the Strait of Hormuz and the free waters are the main objectives of the drill,” Sayyari said. “It will also display the country’s power to control the region as well as testing new missiles, torpedoes and weapons.”
Read moreMassive Ten Day Wargame: Strait of ‘Hormuz Naval Drill, Message To West’ … That The Strait Of Hormuz Will Be Closed If Iran Is Threatened